Rumour Has It
by Gleefulbabe
Summary: The night they shared together after the formal was amazing and the fun continued until something suddenly changed... Will April and Heath have to come clean about they've been up to? If so, how will the news go down with their nearest and dearest?
1. Gotta look back to move forward

**Hi again :) I don't know about anyone else but I love Heath and April together! I really hope something comes of their night together in the season finale. I usually only concentrate on one story at a time but I've got nearly fourty chapters of my other home and away fanfic Pure Shores written so I can afford to take some time for this. The idea just came to me and I had to write it! I really hope you enjoy. Please review! Love you all, Gleefulbabe**

**Chapter 1**

April Scott was trying her very best to avoid Heath Braxton. After the first night they spent together, things were fun. Their relationship (If that's what you could call it) had to be kept a complete secret of course. No one would understand, especially Bianca and April's closest friends. She and Heath were two consenting adults just having fun. No strings attached fun. At least it was no strings attached until things started gettin complicated. Way too complicated. Hence the reason April found herself avoiding the man that took her virginity the night of the formal. And she had been successful; April knew that Heath would never approach her when she was with Bianca and anytime she wasn't, she carefully evaded him... until now.

April, Ruby and Casey were hanging out in the diner, relishing their new found freedom since the end of school and especially exams. April's head was all over the place as it often was recently and Ruby noticed. "April are you okay?" she wondered.

April nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Ruby looked dubious. "It's not the OCD is it?" she wondered lowly.

"Oh, no. I'm just a bit distracted. I'm fine really." She assured her best friend and looked down for a moment. When she looked back up, Heath was just walking in the door. Panic was beginning to take over and April found her breathing becoming very shallow. She contemplated getting out of there like she usually did, but it was too late, Heath had seen her. _Please don't talk to me, please don't talk to me. _April thought, trying to convince herself that Heath wouldn't wouldn't talk to her in public, but she knew she was only fooling herself. It was Heath Braxton afterall. Nothing was off limits for him, something April both liked and disliked about the middle Braxton brother.

Heath put on his usual smug smile and made his way over to the table. "Well if it isn't the geek squad!" he greeted the three but April knew he was only putting on a show.

Casey chuckled. "Yeah 'cause I really got a lot of studying done in Juvie!"

Ruby kissed her boyfriend. "Have I told you lately how glad I am to have you back."

Casey smiled. "Only just every two minutes." he said and kissed her again.

Heath rolled his eyes. "Get a room would you. April, can I speak to you outside for a minute?" That was exactly what she had been dreading.

April nodded. "Sure." she had half-heartedly while getting up. She noticed the look of confusion that Ruby and Casey shared and didn't make eye contact as she followed Heath out the door and down to a bench by the sea side.

He leaned up against the bench. "What's up?"

April played dumb. "Nothing. Why?"

Heath gave her a knowing look. "Don't give me that. You've been avoiding me."

"I haven't been avoiding you." she told him as firmly as she could.

It didn't work. "I know you've been avoiding me Ap," Heath place his hand on her forearm but she quickly shook it off, "I just down know why. We were having fun."

April grimaced. "Well it's not fun for me anymore. We can't be seen together anymore Heath."

He looked confused. "Why, what's with the sudden change of heart?"

She pursed her lips. "I'm pretty sure you don't want to know." April said looking away.

Heath placed his hand on her jaw and gently brought her gaze back to his. "I do want to know. Tell me."

April removed his hand from her face. She couldn't believe that she was about to tell Heath Braxton this. "Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you." she told him and when he nodded briefly and April took a deep breath. _Here goes everything._ "I'm pregnant Heath."


	2. Here to relive your darkest moments

**Thank you so much for all the good reviews and alerts so far! I'm really glad people like this story because I have so many ideas for it. I'll try not to dissapoint! Here's the second chapter. It would be really great if you let me know what you think :) Love you all, Gleefulbabe xxx**

**Chapter 2**

Heath stared at April in absolute shock. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Surely his ears were deceiving him. They had been careful everytime, there was no way this could have happened. "You're pregnant?" Heath wondered incredulously.

April nodded timidly but said nothing. She had never felt so vulnerable in her life. She couldn't believe that she had just told Heath that she was pregnant.

He refused to believe it. "Are you sure? You have OCD, right? It could just be in your mind."

She grimaced. "Thanks." April said sarcastically. "Now I'm crazy."

Heath shook his head. "I didn't mean it like that-" he began but April didn't want to hear it.

"Whatever. And it's not my OCD, Heath. I've done three tests. I am pregnant." she assured him.

He rubbed his neck. "Have you seen a doctor?"

April shook her head. "No. I guess I didn't want to admit this was happening."

Heath bit his lip. "Well you need to see a doctor. We need to have this confirmed." He wasn't going to accept that she was pregnant until it was a fact.

"Fine, I'll make an appointment. I'm scared, Heath." April admitted. All of this was making her nauseous and it wasn't the morning sickness. She was so ashamed.

He nodded. "Me too, Ape. I just don't know how this happened!"

April frowned. "I think we both know how it happened."  
>"That's not what I meant." Heath said looking around self-conciously. "We were careful." he reminded her.<p>

"Yeah, I know. I was there. We obviously weren't careful enough." she told him in a matter-of-fact tone.

Heath hesitated for a moment. "Are you sure it's mine?"

April looked at the Riverboy in disbelief. "Great, so now I'm crazy and a slut. You know what Heath? Just forget about it. I can handle it by myself." she said coldly and turned to walk away.

Heath grabbed her arm but she shook it off. He hesitated for a moment and then started running after her. "Wait, April I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked that. Please stop. Talk to me."

April turned to face him. She was obviously angry. "I shouldn't have told you. I knew it was a mistake."

"No, I'm glad you did. We should talk about this-"

"Look Heath, I don't feel like talking about this now. I need time to think." April told him firmly before hurrying back into the diner. Thankfully he didn't follow. She stopped for a moment to compose herself before april returned to the table and sat back down with Casey and Ruby. They looked at her curiously.

"What did my brother want?" Casey wondered suspiciously.

April shrugged. "Just asking about Bianca. I told him he needed to move on." she lied.

Ruby was dubious. "Did he upset you? You look like you've seen a ghost."

She waved it off. "No, I just don't feel that well. I think I'm going to go home and lie down." April told them and left again. Instead of going home, she went down to the beach and sat on the sand. April stared at the waves for a moment before she buried her face in her hands and let the tears flow. The whole situation was a mess and she didn't know what to do.


	3. I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't

**Chapter 3**

Heath stormed in the door of their house and slammed the door behind him. He wasn't angry at April, he was angry at the situation and himself for even letting this happen. How could he be so stupid? Brax looked up from his computer. "Oi, take it easy." he told Heath but Heath didn't take any notice.

"How many women have I slept with?" He exclaimed rhetorically.

Brax looked at his brother as if he had two heads. "I couldn't even begin to imagine..."

Heath continued on his rant. "Countless women and this has to happen now!"

The eldest Braxton smiled. "What is it? A S.T.I?" he wondered, amused by his brother's state.

He chuckled humourlessly. "I wish it was an S.T.I!" Heath said and flopped down on the couch. He had stuffed up big time.

Brax stood up. "It must be bad. Go on."

Heath shook his head. He wasn't ready to tell anyone yet. "No can do, it's private."

"If you've done something stupid I need to know about it." said Brax, taking on his role of leader of the River Boys.

Heath rolled his eyes. "It's not going to affect the boys." he told his brother.

Brax raised an eyebrow. "Look, you can either tell me now or I can beat it out of you, it's your choice. And you know I don't make empty threats."

After thinking about it for a minute, Heath thought it may be good to confide in his brother and get some advice, because he hadn't a clue what to do. "Fine, but you keep your mouth shut about this." he warned Brax.

His brother looked wary but nodded. "No worries."

Heath took a deep breath. "I knocked someone up."

"You idiot! I thought you of all people would know that you need to use-" Brax began lecturing but Heath cut him off.

He stood up. "I did! That's why I'm so surprised. I have no idea how this happened!" Heath said throwing his hands up behind his head.

Brax shrugged. "Well they don't work 100% of the time."

Heath grimaced at his brother. "Yeah, well I know that now, don't I?"

"So who is it? Some girl in a bar?" Brax wondered.

"That I am not saying." He knew Brax would lose it if he found out.

Brax frowned. "It's Bianca isn't it? Liam is going to kill you."

Heath started to break out in a sweat. He was getting close. "It's not Bianca."

That surprised Brax. "It's not Bianca, but it is someone in town?" he assumed. Heath said nothing. "I'l take that as a 'yes'. You know mate, if you don't tell me, I'm going to ask every woman in town if they're the one that's pregnant with your baby."

Heath sighed. He knew Brax would do it and didn't want everyone knowing his business. "If it was you, you wouldn't tell me."

"Yeah, I know. But I probably wouldn't have got into that situation. Or at least I would know how to handle it, you don't."

He hesitated for a moment but then gave in. "Fine, it's April."

Brax's face fell. "April Scott? You have got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed. Heath nodded and Brax clocked him one, neary knocking his brother off his feet. "You're even more of an idiot than I thought! She's a kid! Not to mention your ex's sister and Casey's school mate."

"She's not a kid." Heath said, annoyed, as he wiped the blood from his nose.

Brax punched his brother again. "She's more than a few years younger than you! And you got her pregnant! How long have you been sleeping with her?"

"Stop with the punching! Since the night of formal." Heath told him.

The eldest Braxton looked absolutely furious. "That was over two months ago! You let it go on for that long!"

"We're both adults. It was just a bit of fun!" he insisted.

"Just a bit of fun? Well, see how that turned out. You have ruined that girl's life! April took drugs so she could ace her HSC to get into med school and not three weeks later, you impregnate her! And you think I'm angry? Wait until Bianca finds out about this! She's going to neuter you!"

Brax shouted and Casey walked in.

"Who's going to neuter you?" Casey wondered, amused.

Brax calmed down a bit, but only for his younger brother's sake. "No one."

The youngest Braxton scrutinised Heath's face. "Ouch. I think your nose is broken... and you've got one hell of a shiner."

"Thanks for pointing that out." Heath snapped and stormed out the door.

Casey looked confused. "What happened?"

"Nothing you need to worry about mate." Brax lied.


	4. Can't contain this feeling that remains

**Thank you so much for all the reviews and alerts so far! It really means a lot to me. I'm really glad that people are so interested in this story, it makes it more challenging to write and try to meet people's expectations. This is one of my favourite stories that I've written so I hope you all enjoy the rest! xxx Lo**

**Chapter 4**

April wiped the tears from her eyes when there was a knock on the door of Irene's house. She wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone at that moment but she couldn't risk anyone getting suspicious. April was shocked when she opened the door only to see Heath standing there with his face all cut. "Heath? What happened to you?" she wondered worriedly.

Heath shrugged. "It doesn't matter, that's not why I'm here."

"Come in." April told him and went over to boil the kettle. She was curious but anxious as to why Heath had called. "So what did you want to talk about?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't mean for it to come out like I did."

April nodded timidly. "I understand. I dropped a huge bombshell on you, it's how anyone would have reacted."

Heath shook his head and took April's hand. "No, I was a jerk. I can't imagine how you're feeling."

"Yeah, it hasn't been fun." That was an understatement. April felt awful the whole time. The morning sickness was really getting the better of her and the anxiety wasn't helping either. When the kettle boiled she poured some hot water into a plastic bowl along with some medical antiseptic. April let it cool a bit for a moment and got a small face towell.

Heath looked a bit confused. "What are you doing?"

She soaked the towell in the liquid and squeezed the excess out. "It's for that gash. Hold still." April told him and gently dabbed his lacerations.

Heath winced. The disinfectant stung but he wasn't about to make a production of it. "We didn't really get to talk a while ago." he pointed out.

April continued what she was doing. There was no change in her voice. "I thought you said all you needed to say."

"No, I didn't. Look April, I know our situation is not ideal but I just wanted to say-" he began.

She quickly stopped him. "You don't have to say anything Heath." April told him, putting the towell in the washing machine and pouring the mixture down the drain.

Heath shook his head. "No, I do. Please just hear me out." he begged her.

April nodded. "Go ahead so."

He took a deep breath. "I know I could have handled what you told me a bit better... it was a shock to both of us. But I just want to tell you that whatever you decide to do, I'm going to support you. Because I..."

She looked at Heath curiously. "You...?" April prompted him.

Heath hesitated for a moment and then let it go. "Never mind. Anyway, I just think before we, you, whatever, make any decisions, you need to see a doctor and we'll see where we go from there."

April was surprised. In the last few months she thought that she saw a different side to Heath, but now it seemed that there was even more to him than she had thought. "Yeah, I think that would be the best thing." April hadn't a clue yet what she was going to do.

"I think the most important thing from now on is that we don't keep any secrets from eachother." he deduced.

April nodded. "Fine. In that case, will you please tell me what happened to that beautiful face of yours?" she wondered playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

Heath pursed his lips. "I told Brax."

Her heart nearly stopped. "You told Brax?" she wondered, slightly annoyed.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry. I know you probably don't want anyone to know but it really helped me to get perspective."

"And Brax beat you up for getting me pregnant?" April wondered, a smile tugging on the corners of her perfect lips.

"Yeah. He was furious. I was actually kind of lucky that Casey showed up when he did." Heath knew himself that he could have easily matched his brother but didn't want to because deep down he knew he deserved it.

April's breathing became very shallow. She feared she was beginning to have a panic-attack. "Casey knows?" her voice rose an octave.

He noticed that she was distressed and cupped her cheeks with his hands. "Casey doesn't know Ape, don't worry. Please calm down," he begged her softly, "Brax won't say anything. Nobody will know anything until you make the call." Heath assured her.

April nodded slightly and just stared into his eyes. After a moment, they leant in towards eachother and kissed.


	5. I can never leave the past behind

**Okay guys, I'm not trying to ruin this chapter but I have to warn you that it is T! Hope you enjoy and please let me know what you think! Thank you for all the reviews and alerts! It really means a lot to me that people are enjoying my story :) Also I wrote this in the back of a moving car so let me know if there are any mistakes. Love you all, Lo xx**

**Chapter 5**

April and Heath kissed for a moment before breaking apart.. Both had a look of surprise on their face. There was a moment of silence between the two until Heath broke it. "Eh.. I'm sorry about that, I just-"

April stopped him. "Don't apologise." she said breathlessly with her arms still around Heath's neck. She could feel the chemistry between them. "You know... everyone is out. They won't be home for a while..." April whispered.

Heath raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

April nodded. "It's what I've wanted for the past fifteen times... It's not changing now." she told him firmly.

He smiled. "Alright then." Heath said and picked her up in arms, carrying her on the now-familiar path into her bedroom. Kicking the door shut behind him, he placed her gently down on her perfectly made bed that was aways the exact opposite when they had finished.

Heath removed his shirt and lay down next to April, placing one of his legs around her hip. April had her hands firmly on his muscular back as usual, pulling him closer to her. Their lips hungrily collided. It had been too long since they had been together like that- way too long. He really made her feel safe whenever she was with him, and April really loved that feeling. It was so hard to comeby with her OCD. It was like Heath was the perfect cure.

Heath slid one of his hands beneath her dress and pulled it over her head, discarding it on the floor nearby. April flinched at his action but Heath quickly took her mind off her compulsion. He ran the edge of his nails gently down the side of her ribcage, stimulating her more. Her skin felt so incredibly soft. "Heath." April's whisper in his ear was only barely audible, but it really turned him on. He slid his other hand beneath her and unclasped her bra, throwing that on the floor aswell.

April pulled Heath's board shorts down and he kicked them off before removing his boxers aswell. She removed her underwear and they were completely naked together once again. To April, it felt completely right, but she didn't know if he felt the same way.

Heath removed his right hand from her upper-body and slid his fingers inside her. She was so wet and it turned him on even more. Heath withdrew his fingers again.

He suddenly remembered something. "Do we need to use protection?" Heath wondered, hoping they didn't as he didn't have any.

April shook her head. "I'm already pregnant. What's the worst that could happen? Twins?"

Heath's face fell. "Could that happen?" he wondered worriedly.

April smiled and rolled her eyes. His ignorance was so cute. "No. Whatever's in here now isn't changing, so come on." she ordered him cheekily.

"As you wish." Heath gave her his award winning smile. The one that had led to her getting pregnant in the first place.

About thirty minutes later, April lay in Heath's arms, ecstatic after what they had just done. It was the happiest she had felt in a good while. Well, at least since April had found out that she was pregnant. "That was even better than I remembered." she smiled up at him.

Heath nodded. "Me too. I've really missed this. I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," April smiled but the smile quickly left her face when she heard someone else in the house. Heath noticed too. "Who's that?" he wondered warily.

"Shh! I don't know!" April mouthed, straining to hear some indication as to who it was. She could hear high heels clicking. Heath and April looked at eachother, panicked. "Bianca!" they both whispered in unison. Heath lept off the bed and started putting his clothes back on.

"April are you home?" Bianca called from outside the door.

She hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, I am!" April called back, turning the key to lock the door of her bedroom while they both got dressed.

"Okay. I got you some tampons, do you want me to bring them into you?" that was like a punch in the stomach for April.

She and Heath exchanged a knowing look. "No, it's fine B. I'm just after getting out of the shower. I'll be out in a few minutes."

"Put on something nice. Irene's going for dinner at Alf's tonight so me and you are going to Angelo's." Her nig sister told her.

"Okay. One minute." April said.

Heath smiled. "I can't believe I have to get out the window again." he rolled his eyes.

April chuckled. "Well, you could out the front door but Bianca would probably murder you."

"Yeah. Trust me, I know. Maybe I'll drop by Angelo's in a while." he smiled.

April was shocked. "I don't think that's a good idea Heath."

Heath kissed her forehead. "Don't worry, I won't come over and talk to you." he said before climbing out the window, leaving April wondering how all this was happening.

**Also I'd like you to tell me if I got the rating right. If I haven't and you think it should be M then put it in a review. Just being overly cautious :p Do think Heath and April will become a couple? ;)**


	6. For reasons unknown

**Chapter 6**

April sat opposite Bianca in Angelo's nervously palying with her fingers. She had already perfectly arranged the plates and cutlery and glasses, so there was nothing else she could do. April could feel Brax's eyes on her and it made her feel very self-concious.

Bianca started to worry about her little sister. "Hey, are you alright? You seem kind of on-edge. Is there something wrong?"

April wanted so much to say yes but she couldn't. Bianca would go completely mad if she found out. She knew that she had to wait until she'd seen a doctor and decided what she's going to do before she told her sister. "I'm fine."

"Really? Because Liam said he saw you crying on the beach today." Bianca told her sister worriedly.

April froze. She had to think of something to say quickly. "My obsessions have been taking over quite a bit today." she lied.

Bianca frowned. "I thought you were getting better."

"I am. I'm just having one of those days where everything makes you emotional. My mind is kind of week today, so I'd say that's what's wrong. I'll be fine, I promise." April told her sister.

She looked dubious but nodded. "As long as you're okay? If your obsessions and complusions are causing anxiety attacks again, then I need you to tell me. It can't go on like it did before." Bianca told her.

April nodded. "I'm fine seriously. Just having a bit of a blue day. So, what did you get up to today?"

Bianca smiled. "Well, I was busy with some wedding arrangements. So far I have the venue, the church, the cake, and the flowers so we're well on track. People say it's stressful arranging a wedding but I'm actually quite enjoying it."

She chuckled. "Yeah well that's because this isn't your first wedding. You knew where to go for everything." April pointed out.

Her big sister stuck out her tongue. "Be quiet. This is my first real wedding day, because, unlike last time, I fully intend on getting married on the day. And I have you as my maid of honour!" Bianca smiled. "Speaking of which, I was thinking that maybe we could go shopping for your bridesmaid dress tomorrow?"

April didn't know what to say. She had completely forgot about the wedding and she had her doctor's appointment the next day. She didn't know if getting the dress now was a good idea when it wouldn't fit her by the time the wedding came around. If she kept the baby. "I can't go tomorrow. I've already made plans with Ruby."

"Oh, okay. We can do it next week." Bianca smiled and then her face fell. "Oh great." she said sarcastically.

April turned around so she could see what had changed her sister's mood so quickly and sure enough it wasn't a what but a who. Heath. She briefly exchanged glances with him and turned back around again. "Why do you still have a problem with him?"

"He's my ex! And he's Heath Braxton. That's reason enough. Why?" Bianca wondered curiously.

April shrugged. "Just wondering."

She smiled reminiscently. "I don't know what I ever saw in him. Why I ever chose him over Liam." April felt the urge to stand up for Heath, but she knew she couldn't without Bianca getting suspicious. "Our food should be here in a minute, so I'm just going to go to the bathroom beforehand."

She said and left the table.

April waited a minute before getting up and walking over to the bar where Brax and Heath were talking animatedly. Heath had his back to her and Brax stopped talking immediately when she approached them. Heath turned around and smiled. "Long time no see."

She smiled. "Yeah. Can I talk to you quickly for a moment?" April wondered and she and Heath walked towards the door.

Heath picked up her hand. "What's up?"

"Eh, I forgot to tell you earlier, for obvious reasons, but I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow." she told him.

He smiled. "Do you want me to come with you?"

April shook her head. "I think it would be best if I went instead. I don't want to risk anyone seeing us there together."

Heath nodded. "If that's what you want. How about I bring you there and wait in the car while you're inside? I just don't like the thought of you having to go by yourself." he offered sweetly.

April smiled. "I would like that. I'll meet you here tomorrow at one o'clock?"

"Sounds good to me. You better get back to your table, Bianca will be back in a minute." Heath said, releasing her hand.

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll talk to you tomorrow." April said before heading back to their table just as their food arrived.


	7. I'll be there when you call

**Thank you all for the brilliant response so far! As I said before, it really means a lot to me that everyone is enjoying my writing as I really enjoy it :) xx Lo**

**Chapter 7**

When April and Bianca were leaving Angelo's, April spotted Ruby on the pier. She needed to come clean to her best friend. "You go ahead, I'll be home in a while. I just have to talk to Ruby about tomorrow." she told her unsuspecting sister.

"Okay, I'll see you in a while." Bianca said and started walking back home.

April hesitated for a moment, but then started walking towards Ruby. Her best friend smiled when she saw her. "Hey, Ape! Are you feeling better?" Ruby wondered.

She nodded. "Yes and no." April answered cryptically. She really didn't want to confide this in anyone other than Heath, but she knew that she would need her best friend's help. Especially for convering for April tomorrow.

Ruby frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked.

April sighed. "Can we sit down? There's something I need to tell you.". Her voice was shaky.

Ruby nodded and she and April sat down on the edge of the pier. "So what's up? You've been acting weird lately. It's not the OCD is it?"

She was getting quite tired of people assuming that it was her OCD. "It's not my OCD. Ruby I'm in a lot of trouble." April told her desperately. When she was with Heath, all her fear vanished. When they were together, it was just the two of them and she felt safe. Now April felt exposed.

Ruby looked really worried. "What kind of trouble?"

April sighed and looked at her best friend. "I'm pregnant Ruby."

Her jaw dropped and Ruby said nothing for a moment. She was too shocked. "You can't be pregnant! You're the smart one!"

"Yeah, well not anymore." April chuckled humourlessly. "I did three tests, I'm pregnant."

Her best friend looked very confused. "But I thought you were still mad at Dex? And Xavier's with Sasha..."

April nodded. "Yeah, that's because neither of them are the father."

"You never said anything about sleeping with anyone! Who's the father?" Ruby wondered, still completely in awe.

She started twirling her hair nervously. April knew that Ruby would completely lose it. She wasn't exactly Heath's biggest fan. "Ruby if I tell you, you have to swear that you won't breath a word of this to anyone."

Ruby nodded warily. "I promise but April you're really scaring me."

April hesitated for a moment and then sighed. "You promise you'll try your best not to judge me? And promise that would won't do something stupid?" Ruby nodded and she continued. "The father is Heath." April said lowly.

Ruby stared at her best friend in complete disbelief. "What?" she wondered, refusing to believe what she'd just heard. April let her head drop. "April please tell me that you are kidding!" Ruby begged but April said nothing. "You had sex with Heath Braxton?" Her best friend wondered, enraged.

"Ruby, please you don't understand-"

Ruby stared at her in disbelief. "It's not hard to understand April! He took advantage of you!"

April shook her head. "He didn't Ruby. It was my idea. He's not what everyone thinks he is." she insisted.

"How long has this been going on?"

She hesitated. "The night of formal was the first time. It's been going on ever since." April told her truthfully.

"That long?" a look of realisation crossed her face. "That's why he wanted to talk to you in the diner."

April nodded. "I had been avoiding him ever since I found out that I'm pregnant. Heath wanted to know why."

Ruby looked away. "Have you told him about the baby?"

"Yeah, I have. I told him a couple of hours ago. He didn't react so well at first, which is natural with such surprising news, but then we talked."

She was curious. "And?" Ruby wondered.

April smiled softly. "We're going to wait until I see the doctor to decide what we're going to do. That's where you come in. I told Bianca that we're going shopping in Yabbie Creek tomorrow. Can you cover for me?"

"Is Heath going to the doctor with you?"

"Well, he's bringing me there and waiting outside. I told him I didn't want anyone to see us there together." April explained.

Ruby nodded. "Well you need someone with you for support. It's got to be terrifying enough as it is, nevermind doing it alone. I'll go to the appointment with you."

April was surprised but smiled. "Really?"

"Well yeah, you're my best friend and this is pretty major. You're going to need me there." she said.

April nodded. "Okay, but you need to promise me something. Please don't attack Heath. He's already had enough of it from Brax." she smiled.

"Brax knows? Oh, so that's what happened to his face. I saw him leaving Angelo's a while ago." Ruby remembered something. "Casey! What am I going to say to him? He's going to kill Heath!"

She became desperate again. "Ruby you cannot tell Casey! Please, not yet. He hasn't exactly got the best temper." April reminded her.

Ruby gave her a 'look'. "Says the one having Heath Braxton's baby!" April grimaced. "Fine I promise. "

April smiled. "Thank you."

**I felt that April needed one of her friend's her own age to confide in and Ruby was the perfect candidate! I thought it would throw a spin on things when she couldn't tell Casey. Please let me know what you think :) What do you think April should do? :)**


	8. With everything I won't let this go

**Hope you all enjoy this chapter! I was planning on writing the next one tonight but I started trying to learn There She Goes by The La's on the guitar and I can't get it and it's driving me crazy! My OCD doesn't help! If anyone can play it and would like to give me a few tips then PM me :) I can't promise that there will be a chapter up tomorrow but I will try my absolute best xx Lo**

**Chapter 8**

As soon as April left, Ruby knew she had to confront Heath. She couldn't just let him get away with doing that to her best friend. Ruby also knew it would be better to let him know what she thought tonight, instead of getting into it tomorrow and upsetting April. She went to look for Heath straight away. It took her a few goes, but Ruby finally found him playing pool with his mates in the Surf Club. She should have guessed. When Ruby walked in the door, Heath barely glanced at her but when she started storming towards him he took more noticed. "What were you thinking?" she shouted furiously.

Heath looked at his mates. "Would you give us a minute?" he asked and they left. None of them wanted to cross Heath. "I don't know what you're talking about." he told his brother's girlfriend.

"Really? Is that why you just gave all your friends the boot?" Ruby wondered indignantly. "And you know exactly what I'm talking about! April told me."

That surprised Heath. He was sure that April hadn't wanted to share their news with anyone. "She did?"

Ruby nodded. "Yeah she did. How could you be so completely stupid? She's way too young for you! Is this some game for you?" she scolded him.

"It's not like we planned for this to happen and no it's not 'some game'!" Heath said, getting defensive.

That didn't appease her at all. "So you're just thick then? Either way, you've ruined my best friend's life and here you are playing pool! April's way too good for you. She had rare potential and now that's gone."

Heath frowned. He knew what Ruby was saying was true and he felt so guilty. "I know that and I am so sorry. You don't know how much. But Ruby, April isn't like all the other girls. I really like her. She's special to me. I'm not just hanging her out to dry."

"Whether or not that's the case Heath, she's eighteen, pregnant and terrified. Are you going to stick by her when she starts to show? When she's six months gone? When she goes into labour? April needs someone that she can depend on and if you're not going to step up to the plate then that person is going to be me. I have no problem with being there for her every step if the way instead of you Heath, but I'm just going to let you know that if that happens, I'll make you that you never see your child." Ruby told him seriously.

Heath would never let that happen. "Ruby, I'm not going to abandon April. That I can promise."

Ruby found that hard to believe. "Yeah, no offense Heath, but forgive me if I don't hang on your every word! Do you know how angry is Casey is going to be when he finds out. What kind of position does that put me in? I'm keeping this from him. April is his friend and she's pregnant by you. Do you know how much that is going to piss him off?"

"Well Ruby believe what you want to believe. And Casey is a big boy. He'll get over it."

She sincerely doubted that. "Yeah, whatever about Casey, what's Brax going to say? This isn't going to do a lot for the image of the River Boys. Not to mention, it's putting April in danger. She shouldn't be caught up in this."

Heath chuckled. "Brax has already made his opinion known." he said, gesturing to his face. "And I won't let anything happen to April. I'll step away from the boys if that's what it takes."

"You know what Heath, it's easy to make all these promises, but keeping them is a different story." Ruby didn't want to listen to what he had to say anymore and began to leave. "Oh yeah, by the way, I'm going to the hospital with April tomorrow and I just want to let you know that I'll be supporting a termination. This conversation never happened." Ruby warned him and left.

Heath stood there in awe. He couldn't imagine April getting rid of their baby and he wouldn't let Ruby talk her into doing it.


	9. Oh simple thing, where have you gone?

**Chapter 9**

The next morning April ditched her usual girly dress for a pair of denim shorts and a strappy loose fitting peach top. She knew there was a possiblilty that she would have to pull up her shirt. April had stayed in bed a little longer than usual that morning so as to avoid Bianca who thankfully left early enough. She knew very well that it was important that she eat, April just couldn't stomach breakfast because of the day that was in it. When she looked like at the clock, it was half eleven and her appointment was at twelve. April left the house straight away to go meet Ruby and Heath outside Angelo's and then head to the doctor's.

When April arrived at Angelo's, Heath and Ruby were already there looking in different directions with sullen expressions on their faces. April sighed. The last thing she needed now was Heath and Ruby at eachother's throats. Thankfully, when both set eyes on her, smiles crossed their faces and April knew that was a good sign. Ruby gave her best friend a hug. "Hey April. How are you feeling?" she wondered concernedly.

April shrugged. "A bit sick. I don't know whether it's the morning sickness or the nerves."

"There's no need to be nervous Ape, me and Ruby are here for you." Heath said sweetly taking her hand.

Ruby shot him a venemous look. "Heath this is probably one of the biggest days of her life, she's allowed to be nervous!"

April frowned. "Stop it you two. If you're going to be arguing I'd rather go by myself."

"Don't worry, we'll be on our best behavior." Ruby told her and Heath nodded. For some reason that didn't comfort April in the slightest and she got into the passenger seat of the car.

It seemed like it took hours to get to the obstetrician and when they finally arrived, April's anxiety only worsened. She felt like she was on death row and entering that building would only seal her fate. She was afraid to have what she already knew confirmed.

Ruby took her best friend's hand reassuringly. "Everything is going to be fine April." she promised softly.

April nodded. "Come on, we don't want to be late." she said.

Heath gave her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be waiting right here for you. Ruby's right, everything will be fine." he promise and April smiled briefly before she and Ruby made their way inside. The waiting room was nearly completely deserted. April made her way over to the reception where there was a friendly looking middle-aged woman sitting behind the desk.

"Hello, can I help you?" The blonde woman wondered, smiling at them both.

April nodded nervously. "I'm April Scott, I have an appointment with Dr O'Connor at twelve." she told the woman.

"Okay excellent. Are you here with her?" The woman asked Ruby who nodded. "Right, so you two can take a seat for a few minutes."

April and Ruby made their way over to the seating area and sat down. April tapped her foot nervously. "Ruby, I am so scared." she told her best friend although scared was probably an understatement. It was more like terrified beyond belief.

Ruby frowned. "There's no need to be scared. I know that's easy for me to say but April you already know that you're pregnant, don't you?" April nodded. "Then what else could the doctor tell you. It's not going to get any worse than it is now."

April could see where was her friend was coming from but she couldn't explain where her fear was coming from. "I know but Ruby you and Heath are the only people that I've told. I don't know what it's going to be like telling a complete stranger."

"That's her job April. There's a lot of girls younger than you having babies. Would you rather it was someone you knew like Sid? Would that make it easier." Ruby wondered.

April shook her head immediately. She couldn't even imagine that. "I know I'm pregnant but I don't know... I guess I'm worried about having to make a decision."

Ruby nodded. That was exactly what she was hoping April would bring up. "That's right, you have options. Don't think that you have to keep this baby."

April didn't answer. She didn't know what to say. She hadn't yet let herself think about where she would go from here. Thankfully a woman, who April assumed to be Dr O'Connor walked over to them. She was in her mid to late twenties with dark brown hair and vibrant green eyes. She was really beautiful. "April Scott?" she wondered warmly. April nodded and she and Ruby stood up. "Great. You can follow me." Dr O'Connor smiled.


	10. So where do we go?

**Chapter 10**

April sat up on the examination couch and Ruby sat down in a chair next to her. April's heart started beating faster and faster. "Okay April, what can I do for you?" Dr O'Connor wondered.

April took a deep breath. "Well, two weeks ago I had my suspicions that I'm pregnant and I took two three tests and they all came up positive."

The doctor nodded. "Okay, so what symptoms or pregnancy have you been experiencing?"

"Well, I missed my period and I've been having morning sickness." she told the doctor timidly.

Dr O'Connor smiled. "Okay, so you most likely are pregnant. We'll just do a few tests first to make sure. So if you are pregnant, it was unplanned?"

April nodded. "It was a complete shock because we had been so careful."

"It happens sometimes." The doctor said sympathetically. "Right okay... If you can put this on behind the screen then we'll get you checked out." she handed April a surgical gown and April went to get changed. She felt her cheeks glowing. She folded all her clothes and then got back up on the couch. April didn't know what to expect as she had never been in an OB's before. The examination didn't take long. "Well April, you're definitely pregnant. We'll do an ultrasound now just to see how far along you are..." Dr O'Connor pulled over the ultrasound machine and April undid the strings that tied the gown together over her stomach.

The doctor shook a bottle of jelly-like substance. "I'll warn you that this will be very cold." she smiled and squeezed a good bit of the jelly on her stomach. She hadn't lied. April got a shiver as soon as the jelly landed on her still-flat stomach. Dr O'Connor pressed the scanner into the jelly and started moving it around while looking at the screen. It took a few minutes but she finally looked at April and smiled. She placed her finger next to a small white blob the size of a coin on the screen. "There. That's your baby."

April stared at the little blob in awe and Ruby got up and came over to hold her hand. "That's my baby?"

The doctor nodded. "It most certainly is. And I would say, going by the size, that you are just about two months gone. You're more than halfway through the first trimester."

"Wow, it's like a peanut!" Ruby smiled and chuckled and April shot a look at her.

"That's my baby you're talking about!" she said light-heartedly.

Dr O'Connor printed off two images of the baby and then wiped the excess jelly off April's stomach. April fixed her gown and sat upright again. "Right, so now that we are 100% sure that you are pregnant, we need to talk about where you're going to go from here."

That was the question that April had been dreading. "I'm not really sure..."

The doctor nodded and smiled softly. "That's completely understandable. You know that you have three options, you just have to chose the one that is best for you. Is the father in the picture?" April nodded. "Then you should discuss all of the options with him very carefully. This isn't a decision to be made lightly. I'll give you all the information you need about pregnancy and should you chose to go down that road, adoption or termination. Ultimately April, this is your decision and your decision alone. I know it may be hard, but do not let anyone else pressure you into choosing an option that isn't completely right for you." Dr O'Connor urged her.

"I know, I will." April promised. She knew that is what Bianca would try to do.

The doctor hesitated. "But you do know there is only a certain window for certain things and you are heading into your second trimester soon..."

April nodded. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Well apart from that decision, you have nothing to worry about. You're young and you and your baby are perfectly healthy so far. Do you have any other questions?" Dr O'Connor nodded.

April hesitated. "Em, yeah. I suffer from obsessive-complusive disorder, is there any chance my baby would have that aswell?"

"Well, usually OCD isn't hereditary but it can be in some cases. Are either of your parents obsessive-compulsive?" asked the doctor.

She shook her head. "No. Neither of my parents have it and neither does my sister."

Dr O'Connor nodded. "I don't suppose the baby's father does either?" April shook her head. "Then I think the chances of your baby having it are pretty low. That's not to say that it couldn't happen though. It could be completely coincidental or it could be genetic. People who are obsessive-complulsive have a chemical imbalance in the brain so it's not usually a gene that's passed along. Any more questions?"

April shook her head. "No, that's it."

The doctor smiled. "Okay then. So you should take a look at these.." Dr O'Connor handed her a couple of leaflets. "And unless you do decide to opt for a termination, I'll see you back here in four weeks. You can get changed back into your clothes now."


	11. Suddenly I see

**Chapter 11- Suddenly I see**

April and Heath decided to wait until they parted ways with Ruby to talk about what happened at the doctors appointment. They had a lot to talk about and there were a lot of decisions to be made. They decided to go for a drive to Wilson's where they would have more privacy. The car was silent for a few minutes. "So what did the doctor say?" Heath wondered, looking from the road to her and back again.

"Well, I'm definitely pregnant. Aroung two months gone." April told him.

Heath frowned. "You got pregnant on our first time?"

April nodded. "Around that time anyway. And not only did I get pregnant on our first time, I got pregnant on my first time. Lucky me, eh?"

Heath smiled empathetically. "Lucky us." he corrected her. "So what else did the doctor say?"

"She just gave me an ultrasound and some leaflets about... and I just asked her whether, if I kept this baby, he or she would have OCD like me." April shrugged. She felt conflicted.

He hadn't thought about that. "Oh? And what did she say about the OCD?" Heath wondered curiously.

"She said that the chances our baby having it just because I have are slim, but it is not completely beyond the realm of possibility."

Heath nodded. "Oh right. Did you get a picture of the baby?"

April nodded. "Yes, I did. But I don't think you should see it. At least until we've talked about... things." She knew if Heath saw the baby that there would be a good possibility that his judgement would be clouded and she couldn't afford to have that happen, especially when there was such a massive decision to be made.

"Okay, let's talk. So what are you thinking?" Heath wondered, slightly wary of what her answer would be.

April took a deep breath. They were finally going to talk about it. All the uncertainty was making her uneasy. "Well, I have three options basically... I can have a termination, I can carry the baby full term and then give it up for adoption or I can keep it."

Heath could hear from her voice that she was struggling with this all. He placed his left hand on her knee. "And what do you think about those options?"

April said nothing for a moment. She wasn't sure if she knew how to put it into words. Tears started streaming down her cheeks. "I can't get rid of my baby Heath. I can't kill it before it has a chance to live." she choked out.

Heath saw that April was getting upset and pulled over at the side of the road. He killed the engine and turned to face her. The tears were running freely now. It was the first time he had seen her lose her composure. "Hey, no-one is asking you to do that." Heath promised her, wiping the tears from her cheek.

"That's what Ruby thinks I should do." she sniffled.

Heath sighed. "Did she say that to you?"

April shook her head. "She didn't, but I knew that's what she was thinking. She thinks I'm stupid."

He took her face gently in his hands. "Listen Ape, it's not up for Ruby to decide. This isn't her chid. You're the only one that can make this decision because it's going to affect you, not Ruby. Charlie had her when she was younger than you, what if she had never given Ruby the chance to live? Nevermind her, what do you want?"

April smiled timidly. Heath never failed to surprise her. "Honestly? I want to keep this baby, after seeing it today, I already love it. But Heath I can do this by myself if you don't want to be involved. I won't blame you."

Her words horrified Heath. "April I want you to keep this baby aswell. I already have a daughter that I probably never going to see again and I'm not going to lose this one. I'm here with you, every single step of the way." he promised.

"You don't really strike me as the children loving type."

Heath smiled. "With you, I'm willing to be anything. I think I'm in love with you April." he said unexpectedly.

April's jaw dropped. She didn't think she'd ever hear Heath Braxton say that. "What? You're love with me?" beneath the surprise in her voice, she was completely thrilled.

Heath nodded, looking quite embarrassed. "I never thought I would say that, but yes." he shook his head. "I don't know what's different with you but there's just something that... that feels so natural. And now you're pregnant and.. I love you." Heath sounded more resolved this time.

April smiled and leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I love you too." she said against his neck. "Are you ready to become a father?"

Heath smiled. "Absolutely."

"Well then, I guess I'm keeping the baby. Our baby." she said ecstaticly.

Heath chuckled. "Bianca is going to kill me."

April nodded. "I know." she smiled. Nothing could dampen her mood at that moment.

He laughed. "I'm glad you're so okay with that. I wouldn't want you miss me or anything."

"You know I'd miss you." April told him and gave him another kiss.

Heath ran his hand through her hair. "That doesn't comfort me at all." he said before kissing her again, with more passion this time. If there's one thing that's better than make-up sex, it's resolution sex.


	12. I don't do surprises

**Thank you for the fifty reviews! I never thought this story would be that popular! I love you all! xx Lo**

**Chapter 12- I don't do surprises**

When Heath dropped April back to Irene's she went straight into the shower. After ten minutes she got out and sat on her bed in her towell. Suddenly she was reminded of something; she couldn't remember where she put the ultrasound pictures. April started to panic as she searched all over her room for the little print outs. They were no-where to be found. Now April was really starting to worry. What if someone else found them before her? She left her room, still in the towell, and went to search the kitchen and sitting room. April stopped in her tracks when she got there and Bianca was home. Not only was she home but she was holding the little white envelope in one hand and one of the ultrasound print-outs in the other. April froze and Bianca looked at her with a shocked expression on her face.

"Who's are these?" Bianca wondered emotionlessly.

April bit her lip there was no point in lying, the truth would only come out later. She said nothing.

Bianca put the photo and the envelope down on the counter. "Tell me April!" she shouted at her sister for the first time.

April cringed. "They're mine." she said lowly. April had wanted this to happen on her terms and was now completey thrown, there was no rehearsing what she was going to say.

Bianca's eyes widened. "You're pregnant?" April nodded. "You're pregnant and you didn't tell me?" she was hurt and mad.

She noddded. "I was going to tell you, I promise! But I was just waiting for the right moment. It's not exactly something that you can just come out and say in the average conversation." April told her sister.

"So that's where you were today! You lied to me April!" shouted Bianca.

April was shaking with nerves. "I know B and I'm sorry. I just couldn't tell you yet and I didn't know for sure."

"How long have you been "not sure" for?" Bianca wondered coldly.

She couldn't believe how badly her big sister, the person she idolised, was reacting. And the worst part was that she didn't even know who the father was yet. The worst was surely still to come. "About two weeks." April replied timidly.

Bianca's jaw dropped. "You've known you're pregnant for two weeks?"

April nodded. "I was scared Bianca. It was humiliating!"

Her big sister pursed her lips. "Who's the father April?". April said nothing. "Who's the father?" she shouted. "Is it Dex? Xavier?" April shook her head. "Then tell me who it is!" she demanded.

April took a deep breath. She couldn't believe she was actually going to say those words to Bianca. "Before I do, will you promise not to completely lose it?"

That made Bianca even more wary. "I'll try my best." was all she could promise. Depending on what her sister's answer was, there was no guarantee.

She bit her lip. "It's Heath." April said quietly, waiting for her sister to completely lose it.

Bianca frowned. She was sure she misheard her sister. She had to have. "I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that." Bianca said, even more worried this time.

"The father is Heath." April announced loud and clear so that there was no mistake this time.

All the colour drained from the blonde's face and a muderous expression replaced it. "You have got to be kidding me! Heath is not the father, you're lying!"

April shook her head with tears in her eyes. "No, I'm not Bianca. We started having sex the night of the formal. I was a virgin. I'm two months pregnant and Heath is the only one I've slept with."

"I can't believe you could be so stupid April!" Bianca shouted and turned for the door.

April ran after her. "Where are you going?" she demanded.

Bianca completely ignored her sister and stormed off. April wanted to follow her but it was just her luck that she was still in a towell. She darted to her room and started getting dressed as quick as was humanly possible. She knew that Bianca was going looking for Heath.


	13. Dedication to my ex

**I'm glad you all enjoyed the last chapter! I know everyone was expecting Bianca to completely fly off the handle, but if she didn't it would have been a complete anti-climax :P Thank you for all the response! I really hope you enjoy this chapter because it was probably my favourite to write so far! That and the one where Heath confessed to Brax :p Enjoy! xx Lo**

**Chapter 13- Dedication to my ex**

Bianca was on a warpath. She had already tried Angelo's and neither Heath or Brax were there. She continued on in the direction of the diner and saw Ruby and Casey coming in her direction. "Do you know where Heath is?" Bianca asked the youngest Braxton harshly.

Casey raised an eyebrow dubiously but answered anyway. He didn't want to get involved in another of Heath and Bianca's many fights. "Yeah he's in there." he said, gesturing towards the diner.

Bianca said nothing in reply and just stormed off towards the diner. Ruby was worried so she quickly ran after her. She knew it could only mean one thing and it wasn't going to be pretty. Casey followed his girlfriend confusedly.

As soon as Bianca entered the diner, her eyes locked on Heath like a bull seeing red. She hurried angrily towards him and slapped a unsuspecting Heath across the face as hard as she could. "You bastard!" she shouted and everyone in the building started looking at her. She went to lunge for him again but a pair of hands caught her around the waist. Casey stood next to his brother and Ruby stood somewhere in the middle, eyeing the situation warily.

Heath said nothing and didn't put up a fight. He knew exactly what was happening and most importantly he knew everything he got he deserved. Bianca was always going to be mad and hurt. Mad because Heath got her little sister pregnant and hurt because they had went out together for a while, but Heath had to admit that Bianca had absolutely nothing on April. The younger Scott was enigmatic.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Liam said as he restrained his fiancée. "What are you doing?" Heath didn't make eye contact with either of them.

Anger filled Bianca again. "Let me go!" she shouted and tried to escape from his grasp.

Liam shook his head. "No can do. Not until you tell me what's going on, or you've calmed down. Whichever comes first." It was easily known that he had no idea what was going on. April was like a sister to Liam. She had helped him a lot when he relapsed and he had her to thank for him and Bianca being back together.

"He got April pregnant!" Bianca finally shouted a little too loudly but not loud enough that anyone outside the circle could here and Liam's hands quickly left her waist. One of said hands found something else though, Heath's face.

Liam clocked him one and Ruby and Casey had to restrain him this time. Suddenly Casey let go and turned to his brother. "What did she just say?" he wondered angrily.

April ran into the diner breathlessly and everyone turned to look at her. She hurried to Heath's side. "Are you okay?" she wondered concernedly, picking up a napkin and wiping blood off his face again. He nodded.

Charlie and brax joined the scence at this stage. Charlie still in police unifom. She saw a bleeding Heath. "Okay what is going on here?" she demanded, stepping in between the two sides.

Heath place one of his arms around April's waist and she leaned up against him.

"You absolute idiot!" Casey shouted and lunged for Heath but Brax caught him.

Charlie was getting fed up. "Okay that's enough! The next person to have a go at someone is coming down to the station with me!"

Brax nodded. "Yeah, Charlie's right." he said, supporting his girlfriend.

Bianca chuckled humourlessly, yet manically. "You don't know what he did!" she shouted. Bianca could hardly bear to look at her sister and Heath together. It made her physically sick, especially the thought of them having had sex together.

"Actually I do and I've already beat you to the punch line. Excuse the pun." he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Charlie shot Brax a warning glance. "Okay, we're going to take this outside. With decorum." she warned them all and everyone complied. Once outside, everyone took sides again. Heath, April, Ruby and Brax, and Bianca, Liam and Casey. Charlie stood in the middle. "Alright, does someone want to tell me what is going on?"

Bianca nodded. "_He _slept with April and got her pregnant!" she shouted again, pointing at Heath. That shocked Charlie. She looked between her best friend and her boyfriend's brother.

"So? We're both adults!" April pointed out, annoyed. She was being treated like a child. That was the thing April hated more than anything. She was old enough to make her own decisions.

Bianca couldn't believe her sister was being so clueless. "April, he took advantage of you!"

"No he didn't Bianca! I love him and he loves me!" April told her older sister in a matter-of-fact tone. She knew no-one would understand her and Heath's relationship. His grip tightened around her waist in reassurance.

Bianca scoffed. "And if you actually believe that, you're even more clueless than I thought."

Her sister's words hurt April. "Come on lets go." she said quietly and Heath nodded. The two walked away leaving the mess behind.

**This was really fun to write :P Please let me now what you think! xx**

**Next time- April begins to doubt Heath's feelings! :/**


	14. When all you got to keep is strong

**Chapter 14**

Heath and April made their way down onto the beach to get away from everyone and all the drama. They sat in the sand and April rested her head on Heath's shoulder and cried. He stroked her hair. "I'm sorry." Heath told her sincerely, he hated to see April like that. It made him upset if he did.

April looked up at him, confused. "What are you sorry for? You didn't go attacking anyone." she pointed out. "I'm really proud of the way you handled that." She had been expecting a big bust up, but Heath remained cool the whole way through.

Heath frowned. "I'm sorry for doing this to you... and I'm sorry that I didn't say something. I should have stood up for you." he regretted letting Bianca put her down like that.

She kissed him on the cheek. "I wasn't the one being attacked. I should have stood up for you more. Bianca doesn't understand..." April's voice trailed off. Her sister would probably never understand.

"When did you tell her?" he wondered curiously. She hadn't said anything about it when they were together.

April shuddered when she remembered what happened. "I wasn't planning on telling her... but I kind of misplaced the ultrasound photos and Bianca found them. It was game over from then. I was going to lie and say they were someone else's but I would would be caught out in it sooner or later." If she lied it would only hurt Bianca even more.

Heath nodded. "At least that part is over with now." It was a massive milestone.

April wasn't so sure. "I don't know Heath. I don't think Bianca is ever going to forgive me. Definitely not anytime soon..."

"She will. You're her sister. She's just in shock." Heath promised.

She hesitated for a moment. "Heath, I need to ask you something..."

He kissed her head. "Anything you want." Heath told her.

April looked up at the father of her unborn baby. "Bianca wasn't right, was she?" she shifted uncomfortably. It wasn't an easy question to ask.

Heath frowned. "About what?"

April bit her lip. "You do actually love me, don't you?" If his answer was no, she would never get over it. If his answer was yes, she would always find it hard to believe that someone like Heath Braxton would be interested in her.

Heath was horrified. "Don't ever doubt that April. You know this is all new to me. I've never been serious about a girl. But there's just something about you... You're beautiful and intelligent and such an amazing person. Please don't let anyone convince you that I'm not in love with you." he said sincerely and smiled after a minute. "God, I'm turning into Casey!"

April laughed. "I don't doubt it. And I guess I already knew the answer, but I'm so confused Heath. Two months ago I was worrying about the HSC and now I'm going to have a baby. It's a huge learning curve."

Heath nodded. "I know it is babe and I'm here for you. Every step of the way. Imagine how hot our kid is going to be!"

She rolled her eyes. "I can't believe you just said that." she laughed. Then April remembered something. "Can I stay with you tonight? I don't think I'm ready to go home and be lectured by Bianca again about how disappointed she is in me."

Heath kissed her. "Of course you can. Brax won't care but you might have to put up with Casey. I think he's in shock aswell."

April frowned. She knew this was really going to affect Casey. Her was her friend and Heath was his brother, in his eyes that must have been the ultimate betrayal. "Do you think he'll ever forgive me?" she wondered dubiously.

He kissed her. "Of course he will. He just needs a bit of time to get used to the idea." Heath promised her. Casey couldn't hold a grudge for long, that was one of his weaknesses.

April sighed. "I hope so. I don't want to lose him as a friend because of this. And I don't want to ruin your relationship with him either."

"Yeah well, me and Casey's relationship wasn't ever that great anyway. It's no secret that he prefers Brax." Heath said, looking down at the sand.

She took his hand. "Casey's not the best for showing emotions Heath. He loves you just as much as Brax. It's just sometimes you're a bit hard on him. This is me being Casey's friend now, not your girlfriend. You need to stop treating him like a child Heath or you could drive him away." April warned him.

Heath smiled and kissed her again. "Okay, from now on I promise to be better behaved."

April ran her hand through his short hair and laughed. "All the boys are going to say that I have you whipped."

"Strangely, I don't mind." Heath smiled.


	15. The brains you had went to your head

**Hello again! I'm am undescribably sorry about not updating for a while but I had stuff going on and this chapter was one that I really had to think about. Hopefully I'll be able to start updating on a daily basis again :) I really hope you enjoy what's to come! xx Lo**

**Chapter 15- The brains you had went to your head**

The next morning April woke up to a smiling Heath lying beside her in bed. She smiled back for a moment before her stomach lurched and she jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. April got down on her knees and was violently sick. Heath hurried after her and pulled her hair back. "Go away Heath!" April groaned between wretching. She didn't want him to see her puking her guts up.

Heath rolled his eyes. "Would you just concentrate on what you're doing?"

April sighed and got sick again. That was definitely the worst part of being pregnant. She really hoped the morning sickness wouldn't last long. She could take going to the bathroom and eating constantly, but April prayed this part would stop soon. After she was done, April brushed her teeth and went into the kitchen with Heath to get something to eat. She cringed when she saw that Casey was making a cup of coffee.

He looked over at the two. "Oh, I didn't know _you _spent the night." Casey said bitterly.

April frowned and walked over to him. "Casey I'm so sorry that you had to find out like this. I feel terrible about it." she told him sincerely.

Casey looked as if he didn't believe a word of it. "April you're one of my best friends, how am I supposed to feel when you're pregnant with my brother's baby. If it was Brax's I would understand, but you are way too good for Heath! What were you thinking?"

"Hey, I'm still standing here you know." Heath reminded his younger brother.

Casey grimaced. "Sorry, I'm still not talking to you." he told his brother. "Because as much as I want to blame April, I know this is your fault. This should have been the one challenge that you backed away from!"

April hated to see the two Braxton's fighting. "Casey, it was me that wanted to sleep with Heath in the first place. Dex was with Dallas and Xavier didn't want to do it with me. I was set on losing my virginity and Heath dropped me home..."

"Why would you want to have sex with him? You could have any guy you like!" Casey wondered incredulously.

April grimaced. "Well Dex and Xavier wouldn't. At the time, he was the adventure for me. What better way to lose it than with the reputed Heath Braxton. But then... "

Casey frowned. "That really is such a cliché April. All that time you were sneaking around and sleeping with _him_."

She nodded. "Casey we were having fun, but then I started to fall for him. I knew I had to let that go though when I found out that I was pregnant."

"For the past couple of weeks you fled whenever you saw Heath. Now I know why. You know April, no matter what my idiot brother says, you have the choice here. Maybe it would be a good idea-"

"That's not your decision to make." Heath snapped and April put a hand reassuringly on his muscular arm. The action nearly made Casey sick.

April smiled. "Casey, I'm keeping my baby. Me and Heath's baby."

Casey was horrified. "April you can't be serious! You wanted to go to med school. You can't just throw everything away!"

"I'm not throwing everything away. I can always take a gap year. Even if I don't become a doctor, I'll have something much more important." April told him. She had everything resolved in her head.

Casey raised an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? And what if something goes wrong? Then what are you going to do?" he knew that she had herself convinced that everything was going to be great.

"Nothing's going to go wrong." Heath assured his brother. "We're going to make sure of it."

He wasn't convinced. "Yeah, and since when are you a psychic Heath?" Casey wondered. "I'm just saying that things change."

April frowned. He was completely ruining her mood by tearing down all her plans. "Why can't you just trust that I know what I'm doing?" she demanded sullenly.

"Because you don't April! You're blinded by the romance of it all and you're making a mistake." he tried to make her see.

April was having none of it though. "You can't tell me how to live my life Casey. This isn't about you. It's not your life and it's not your baby. I don't have to listen to anything you say!" she snapped at her friend.

Casey angrily threw his cup of coffee into the sink and stormed out of the room. He was only trying to make her see sense but she would never listen to him. She needed to listen, so Casey decided he needed to go to someone with a higher power.


	16. Your minds made up and the music plays

Thank you for all the lovely reviews so far. I've just decided where I want this story to head but I'm not giving anything away :p. Laptop is being collected from the guy who is repairing it on Monday so I should be able to update more regularly. Frankly writing chapters on a samsung galaxy mini is very time consuming and tedious :p That's why there could be a change in layout of this chapter and the previous. Hope you enjoy :)

Chapter 16- Your mind's made up and the music plays

Bianca took a deep breath before making her way down to where April was sitting on the beach. She hadn't seen her sister since the incident in the diner the previous day. Bianca hadn't intended on seeing her yet but Casey had informed her of April's plans and she knew she had to intervene. April looked up to see her sister standing over her and looked back at the ocean again. Without saying anything, Bianca sat down on the sand next to her. "Where's Heath?" she asked, trying to break the awkward silence.  
>"Getting his board." April replied shortly without looking at her. She was still hurt by what her sister had said the previous day and that most likely wasn't going to change any time soon.<br>Bianca sighed. "So Casey called over this morning." she informed her little sister.  
>April gritted her teeth. She couldn't believe Casey went crying to Bianca. She couldn't tell anyone anything anymore it seemed. April didn't reply to her sister's statement.<br>"April-" April rolled her eyes. "I don't need another lecture Bianca. I know what I'm doing ." she informed her. The blonde shook her head. "No April, you don't. No matter how much you think you do, you don't."  
>"Oh yeah, and you do? Bianca you don't have a clue what being pregnant is like." Bianca shook her head. "You're right. I don't know what being pregnant is like, but I do know what Heath Braxton is like. April if you think you and him can play happy families, then you're wrong." April chuckled humourlessy. "Do you know what Bianca? I am sick to death of being told that I'm wrong." she was becoming very angry.<br>"I'm just asking you to think this through." Bianca told her sister.  
>April shook her head, enraged. "No you're asking me to get rid of my baby Bianca!"<br>Bianca nodded. "You've got the rest of your life ahead of you. Let's call a spade a spade here. You're going to get all A's in your results. Go to med school and become a doctor. Then, if you and Heath are still together, have a baby with him. Don't throw everything away because of one mistake."  
>"I want this baby Bianca. Nothing is going to change my mind. And you're wrong. You never knew Heath like I know him. Everyone thinks he's this bad guy, but he's not. I know it may be hard to believe, but he actually loves me. Besides, just look at Charlie and Ruby. Charlie got pregnant when she was fourteen and they're doing fine." April pointed out.<br>Bianca nodded. "Yeah that's because Charlie's mum and dad raised Ruby for most of her life."  
>April shrugged. "Well Charlie was fourteen. Heath and I are not. We're both adults. We can make this work." the youngest Scott informed her sister. "April please don't do this." begging was the only option Bianca had. She knew trying to argue with her sister wasn't going to get her any where. "You've only got a short period of time to change your mind before you're stuck with this decision- this mistake- forever. I love you and I don't want to see you get hurt. I couldn't bear to see you heart broken at the end of this all."<br>April looked around and saw that Heath, Brax and two other River Boys were now on the beach so she got up. "I'm not going to be heart broken Bianca. You don't need to worry." she told her sister before making her way over to her boyfriend. Bianca sighed defeatedly as she saw Heath kiss her sister. She knew she would never be able to change April's mind. That wasn't anything knew, she'd always been independent and headstrong, but this time there was so much more at risk. It wouldn't be just herself, Heath or Bianca that April would have to consider when making decisions from here on in. There was a child involved now. Bianca wearily stood up and started making her way to the diner.

Irene frowned when she saw the blonde enter. "Everything all right darl?" she wondered as her housemate approached the counter.  
>Bianca shook her head. "No. Everything is a complete mess." she sighed, emotionally drained.<br>"What's happened?" Irene wondered worriedly.  
>Bianca hesitated but then decided that she should know. Irene was like a mother to April. "April is pregnant." she replied lowly.<br>Irene's jaw dropped. That was the last thing she was expecting to hear. "You're kidding!"  
>Bianca chuckled humourlessly. "Trust me, I wish I was. She's two months gone. "<br>"Is Dex the father?" Irene wondered, still in shock from the revelation. Bianca shook her head. "Even though I would love more than anything to say yes, he isn't."  
>Irene frowned. "Then who is?"<br>Bianca grimaced. "Heath Braxton."  
>Irene's jaw nearly reached the floor. "God save Ireland darl! You're flamin' kidding me! What was April doing with him?" Bianca shrugged. "I have no idea. Apparently it started the night of the formal and has been going on ever since. I thought you said that April was in her room the next morning?"<br>Irene nodded. "She was and there was certainly no sign of Heath Braxton!"  
>"Then how did this happen?" Bianca wondered desperately.<br>Irene bit her lip. She had an idea. "That flamin' window again!"  
>Bianca frowned. "Excuse me?"<br>Irene remembered that Bianca wasn't around Summer Bay at the time. "Well, when Belle, god rest her soul, lived with me Aden, her eventual husband, used to sneak into her room, the room April has now, at night."  
>"And you didn't think of putting bars on it?" Bianca wondered irritatedly.<br>Irene shrugged. "Well Belle could make her own decisions and to be honest, I didn't think we'd ever need it with April." she replied sarcastically. "So what's going to happen now?" Irene wondered.  
>Bianca sighed. "They're keeping the baby." she replied bitterly.<br>"What?"  
>Bianca nodded. "Yeah apparently they're in love." she rolled her eyes. "Like Heath Braxton could love anyone but himself."<br>Irene frowned. "Have you tried talking to her?".  
>She nodded. "Yes I have but it was no use. April's got herself convinced that she and Heath are going to raise the baby together." Bianca said. Irene hesitated for a moment. "Well darl, have you ever thought that you just might be a little bit bitter because you used to be with Heath. Maybe they are in love?"<br>Bianca shook her head although she wasn't one hundred percent convinced by herself. "I am not jealous of April and Heath, Irene. I'm with Liam." the blonde informed her.  
>"You don't have to want to be with him to be a bit resentful of April. She's your sister and he's your ex boyfriend and they're having a baby together. It's got to make you feel a bit hurt." Irene pointed out. "Trust me, she can have him." Bianca said bitterly. "Don't say anything to anyone about this. I'll see you at home later." she added before leaving. As she exited the diner, Bianca frowned to herself. She began wondering if Irene had a point. Was she so reluctant to accept that Heath loved April because he never loved her? Was that why she was so dead set against her sister having this baby? Because it was Heath's? Was she actually jealous? Bianca rubbed her face. She knew it would take a while to sift through all these emotions. <p>


	17. Whenever I fall at your feet

Chapter 17- Whenever I fall at your feet

April was walking along the beach alone. Heath and Brax were gone to visit their mother and she still wasn't talking to Casey after what he told Bianca so that ruled hanging out with him and Ruby out. She felt lonely when Heath wasn't around because April didn't have anyone else anymore. She and Bianca still weren't on speaking terms and she still felt like she had to hide her pregnancy from everyone. April knew that she needed to get everything sorted out as it had been a record of fifteen days since she last spoke to her older sister and she missed her a lot. Suddenly April was drawn from her thoughts by someone's voice. "April! Wait up!" Dex called from behind.  
>April thought about pretending she didn't hear her ex boyfriend for a moment but then decided against it. She couldn't completely burn her bridges with everyone.<br>It surprised Dex that she actually acknowledged him. "Hi. For a moment there I thought you weren't going to stop." he said awkwardly.  
>"For a moment there, so did I." she admitted. "What's up?"<br>Dex shrugged. "We haven't spoken since the night of the formal. Look, I'm really sorry about Dallas. She was just trying to help me." April sighed. That was so insignificant it didn't even cross her mind since. "It's not about Dallas Dex. It's not even about you. Don't take it personally, I've been pretty much distant with everyone lately."  
>Dex smiled. "That's good. Not that it's good that you're being distant but it's good that you're not being distant with me... I guess what I'm trying to say is I miss you April." April frowned. This wasn't what she needed at the moment. She felt nauseous and light-headed. "Dex... please don't..." "I want us to get back together April-"<br>April's head began spinning. "Dex-"  
>"-And I know I messed up by letting Dallas kiss me-" Dex continued but he was quickly stopped by the sight of his ex girlfriend collapsing on front of him. He dropped to his knees beside April on the sand. "April! April!" Dex called but she wouldn't come around.<p>

*********************  
>"April? April can you hear me?" April awoke again to the sound of Dr Walker's voice. She immediately knew where she was. April slowy opened her eyes much to the relief of Sid and Dex. "April, you're in the hospital. Can you remember what happened?"<br>April nodded slowly. "I fainted on the beach. How long have I been out for?" she wondered, still a slight bit drowsy.  
>"About fifteen minutes. The ambulance just brought you here. We're going to run some tests but have you any idea why you collapsed?" Dr Walker wondered, checking her pupil reaction.<br>April hesitated for a moment. She looked from the doctor to Dex and back. "Can we have some privacy?" she wondered embarrassedly.  
>Dr Walker nodded. "Of course. Dex can you give us a minute?"<br>Dex reluctantly nodded and left the room. "So can you tell me what caused this lapse of conciousness?" the doctor wondered concernedly.  
>April nodded timidly. "I do. It was morning sickness." That shocked Sid. "Excuse me?"<br>"It was morning sickness." she repeated.  
>Dr Walker nodded. He had to put aside the fact that April was his son's ex girlfriend. "How far along are you?" She had to think about that. "About two and a half months." "Okay. So it's most likely, like you said, morning sickness but we'll need to do an ultrasound to make sure that the baby is okay. Have you been experiencing stress lately?"<br>April nodded. "That's an understatement. Could stress have caused me to feint?" Dr walker nodded. "It's a possibilty. You really need to watch your stress levels because when you're stressed, your baby is too. I'll be back with the ultrasound machine in a minute." he said and excited the room.  
>After the doctor left, Bianca, Liam and Heath walked in. Heath made his way to April's bedside immediately. "What happened babe?" he wondered, extremely concerned for his girlfriend and baby.<br>"I feinted. Because of the morning sickness." April informed him.  
>Heath frowned. "I should have been with you. What if there was no-one there?" "It's fine Heath. Don't blame yourself. You can't be with me every minute of everyday. How did you find out?" she wondered.<br>"Dex called me and I called Heath." Bianca said quietly. "I thought he had a right to know." Heath squeezed April's hand. "Is our baby okay?" April sighed. "I honestly don't know. Sid is going to do an ulttasound soon. I'm scared Heath. What if something happened to it?" Heath kissed her forehead. "I'm sure the doctor is just doing it as a precaution. There's no need to worry." he told April and she nodded.  
>Bianca just stood there taking in the scene. She was actually surprised by how Heath was with April. He actually seemed to love her. The Heath Bianca was seeing now on front of her was not the Heath she once knew. Or thought she knew. Bianca was beginning to think that her sister was right. Her train of thought was interrupted by Sid re-entering the room. He set up the ultrasound aparatus and April lifted up her shirt to reveal her noticeably rounder stomach. Bianca felt her heart beating faster as the doctor squeezed the jelly on her sister's abdomen and placed the scanner on it. It took a moment, but Sid finally found the baby and it's heartbeat was clearly audiable.<br>Dr Walker smiled. "There it is." He pointed to a small, white, coin-sized blob on the screen. "You've got nothing to worry about. Your baby is fine." he told them and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Dr Walker looked at the door and saw Dex looking confusedly at April and Heath holding hands. He knew that it would take a while for his son to get his head around this. April looked up from the screen showing the picture of her unborn baby and noticed Dex staring heartbroken at her. The minute she caught his gaze, he turned and walked away. Heath looked at his girlfriend and frowned. "What's wrong babe?" he wondered. April shook her head. "Nothing.". She felt really bad about Dex finding out about her and Heath and the baby this way but also felt relieved that she didn't have to tell him herself. Either way, she knew he would be devastated and had serious doubts as to whether their friendship could survive this. 


	18. Some forgive, others hold on

Sorry if I've been neglecting my Pure Shores readers lately but I really need a computer to write the next chapter for that. Luckily, I'll be getting my computer back tomorrow. Unluckily, all my files are unretrievable so the extra chapters I had written for all my stories published and unpublished are gone :( What can you do? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 18- Some forgive, others hold on to every heartbreak

Dex felt sick as he walked away from April's hospital room. It had only then hit him that he and April would never get back together. And then there was the... Dex couldn't even bring himself to think the word. He couldn't bear to think of her and him together. Dex was forced to stop his striding when he bumped into someone. When he looked up he saw that it was Casey and Ruby entering the hospital . "Hey Dex. Have you been to see April? How's she doing?" Ruby wondered concernedly. Dex gritted his teeth. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" he half shouted.  
>"Woah, are you alright mate?" Casey wondered, slightly taken aback by his friend's reaction. Dex shook his head. "No I am not alright. "Do you know who's up there at her bedside?"<br>Casey frowned. "Bianca, Liam and judging by your mood at the moment, my brother." Dex nodded. "And do you know why he's there?" he wondered angrily. Ruby and Casey exchanged glances and said nothing.  
>Dex stared at his friends in disbelief. "You two knew what he did to her? What your brother did to my April?"<br>Casey sighed. "She's not your girl anymore mate." he said. He really did feel for Dex. "How did you find out?" "My father was just up there doing an ultrasound on her. I can't believe this! I can't believe she didn't tell me herself!"  
>"She's scared Dex. She was hardly just going to announce to everyone in town that she's pregnant." Ruby told him.<br>That wasn't any comfort to him. "What the hell is she doing with your brother?" Dex shouted. "Listen mate, I know it was a shock for all of us but my brother loves April. More than anyone else. I didn't want to admit it at first but Heath's different around April. She loves him too. They're having a baby together. It's out of your control Dex." Casey told his best friend sympathetically.  
>Ruby nodded. "She's under enough stress at the moment as it is. Please don't confront her about this. Let April come to you if that's what she wants." "Whatever. I'll let you two go visit the mother-to-be." Dex said sullenly and walked away. Ruby and Casey exchanged weary glances. They both knew how much Dex had his heart set on getting back together with April. This recent revelation would take a long time for him to come to terms with.<p>

******************  
>"Guys, can I talk to Bianca alone for a few minutes?" April wondered.<br>Heath nodded. "Of course. Me and Liam are going to get some coffee, do you want anything?" he asked April and Bianca. They both silently shook their heads and Heath and Liam left the room. The silenced lingered for a moment. "Bianca, I-" April began but her sister cut her off. Bianca sat by April's side. "I'm sorry April. I can't even how scary all of this has been especially having to tell people. I shouldn't have reacted the way I did. It's just that you have so much potential, I find it so hard to accept that that's going to take the backseat now." she told her sister truthfully. April frowned. "It's only taking the backseat for now. At the moment my baby- mine and Heath's baby- is so much more important. I know it's going to be hard Bianca. I'm not under any illusion that it isn't, but I have to have faith that things will turn out okay in the end." tears began to fill April's eyes, "I just really need my big sister now." Bianca pulled her sister into her arms. She was beginning to get emotional aswell. "I'm here April. You don't have to worry. I going to be with you every step of the way from here on in. No matter what happens." she released April so she could look at her properly. "And you better get better soon because we still have to get you a bridesmaid dress." Bianca told her.  
>April smiled. "You still want me to be your maid of honour?" Bianca nodded. "Of course! Remember what happened the last time I didn't have you in my wedding party? I fully intend on getting married this time. And let it be known to Heath that if he turns up at my wedding wearing boardshorts and carrying a surfboard, I will kill him. It doesn't make a difference that we're getting married on the beach, if he shows up wearing his usual attire, I'm holding you responsible!" she chuckled.<br>April arched an eyebrow. "I'm surprised that he's even invited." Bianca shrugged. "Well he's your boyfriend and father of my future niece or nephew."  
>"I thought you were dead set against us being together?" April was surprised that her sister had seemed to change her mind.<br>Bianca nodded. "Oh I was. Something that Irene said might have changed my view." she smiled. "And what I saw today really helped. You were right, Heath was never like that with me. He really does love you... and don't you dare say I told you so!"  
>April chuckled. She couldn't resist. "I told you so. So are we okay?" she wondered.<br>Bianca smiled. "Yeah we're okay. But only as long as you let me come to your next doctor's appointment!" "You were here today." April reminded her. Bianca waved that off. "Yeah but it's not the same." April laughed and smiled. "Alright then. You can come to them all if you want. But you have to put up with Heath." The older Scott smiled. "I'm sure I can handle that." ******************  
>Heath and Liam returned from the cafeteria only to see Bianca and April laughing and smiling together. Heath smiled, satisfied by the sight. "I knew they would work it out." Liam nodded in agreement. "Bianca's been clutching at straws for the past few days. I knew that she wouldn't be able to stay mad at April for much longer." "Yeah, lets just hope it lasts. I don't think April could do this without Bianca. Even with me." Heath admitted. "Bianca was more of a mother to April than her actual mother ever was. I think the worst part is over now. We can all just go from here." Heath nodded. "Here's hoping." <p>


	19. Have you heard the rumour

**Chapter 19- Have you heard the rumour?**

Heath was hanging out with some of the River Boys by the beach. Brody smiled. "Oh look, boobies." He stared over Heath's shoulder. Heath wasn't really paying attention but he turned around to see who he was talking about. When he turned around and saw Casey and April, anger filled him. "Do you think you could get your brother to introduce us."

Heath scowled and launched himself at a completely unsuspecting Brody. "Do you want to shut your mouth or do you want me to do it for you?"

Brody was horrified. "What's the problem mate?"

"The problem is that's my girl you're talking about! So I'm going to give you one more chance to take it back." Heath informed him as he held Brody by the collar of his t-shirt.

Casey rushed over and pulled his brother off him. April followed. "Let me go Casey!" Heath demanded.

Casey shook head. "No can do. Not unless you calm down."

April frowned. "Heath stop, please." She begged her boyfriend. April hated seeing him like this with the boys when he was always so different with her.

Heath sighed. "Alright! Just don't let me catch you talking about her again!" he threatened him and Brody raised his hands in defeat. "I'll be back in a minute." Heath told the boys and he and April walked away from them.

April smiled. "Please tell me that wasn't about me."

"It was. Brody was commenting on your... chest. No guy is going to talk about my girl like that." he told her.

April kissed him. "That's sweet, but you don't need to defend my honour. I'm used to men making comments at this stage."

Heath shrugged. "Still. None of the River Boys will be making any comment about you any time soon. What are you getting up to?"

"Just going to the diner with Case. You going for a surf?" she wondered.

Heath nodded. "Yeah, I was going to but if you want me to hang with you then I will?"

April shook her head. "No, it's fine. Surf looks good today. We can catch up afterwards." She looked down at her four month pregnant stomach. "Is my bump really noticeable in this?" April wondered, smoothing down her dress.

"Well, it is noticeable, but you nearly four and a half months pregnant April. You can't hide it much longer. I doubt anyone will notice."

April nodded. "I'm just nervous about people finding out. I don't think I'm ready for people whispering behind my back. And before you say anything, if that happens I don't want you physically accosting anyone!" she warned him and Heath looked disappointed.

"Fine. I won't. But they better not be saying anything about you either." He said.

April smiled. "Just don't get into a fight with anyone else. I'll see you in a while." She kissed him and walked off with casey.

The moment April and Casey walked into the diner, they were met by whispering and discreet pointing from their class mates. They exchanged glances and went to sit down at a table. "They're not talking about you. They couldn't be. Who knows about the... you know what?" Casey whispered.

"You, Heath, Brax, Ruby, Bianca, Liam, Irene, Dr Walker and... Dex." April sighed. She didn't want to believe that her ex-boyfriend had told people.

Casey frowned. "You don't think Dex said something, do you?"

April shrugged. "I don't know. I would like to think not but, you said it yourself, he was pretty upset by what happened in the hospital. I should have talked to him about it. He's been avoiding me ever since." she said ruefully. April looked around. "They're still staring at me." she said anxiously and folded her arms over her stomach.

Their suspicions were confirmed when Stu walked past. He fake coughed. "Whore."

Casey stood up angrily. "What is your problem?" he demanded.

Stu smiled. "First a junkie, now a slut. I didn't think that was you. How wrong I was!" he sneered at April.

"What are you talking about Henderson?" Casey spat.

Stu rolled his eyes. "Oh please. We're not idiots. It's easy to see that Little Miss Perfect had gotten herself knocked up. Who's the father? Xavier?" he wondered tauntingly.

April looked down. She couldn't deal with everyone staring at her. Casey grabbed Stu's top and was about to hit him. "Hit me if you want to go straight back into juvie." he grimaced.

Casey remembered himself and let him go. He promised himself everyday in juvie that he would never let his temper get the better of him again. He looked around and saw that everyone was gazing on shamelessly. "That's okay, you can all keep gossiping and whispering behind her back. I wouldn't if I were you though."

"And why is that?" Stu wondered, not believing him.

Casey shrugged. "Well that baby belongs to my brother. I'm sure he would only be too happy to set you straight if he found out that you were mocking his girl."

April's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe that Casey had just revealed that she was pregnant with Heath's baby.

Stu's face fell. "That's Heath's baby?"

Casey smiled. He knew that the tables had turned. "Yeah it is and he's very protective of the both of them so if I were you I'd stop insulting April."

Stu frowned and looked at April. "I'm sorry I called you a junkie, a whore and a slut." he apologised, covering all his tracks.

April grimaced but did not respond. She stood up. "Let's go Case." She said lowly.

"One more thing. You obviously didn't figure it out yourself, you're not that smart. Why don't you tell me who started spreading the rumour?" Casey wondered threateningly.

Stu wasn't giving anything away. "I told you, it's easy to see."

Casey shrugged. "You can tell me, or I can leave it up to my brothers to find out. It's your choice." Either way Casey wasn't going to say anything to Heath or Brax but he was fishing.

He sighed. "Well, I don't know who started spreading it but I heard it from Summer."

Casey smiled. Stu really was as gutless as everyone thought. "Right choice." He couldn't help saying before turning to April. "Come on, lets go."


	20. Some things fade, some fade faster

**Chapter 20- Some things fade, some fade faster**

As April and Casey left the diner, they saw Summer coming against them. Casey gritted his teeth. "Hey Summer, can we talk to you for a minute?" he called.

Summer looked apprehensive but nodded anyway. "Sure what's up?" she wondered timidly.

"You know what's up." April gave their class mate a knowing look. She couldn't believe that Summer could just stand there and act innocent.

Summer lowered her gaze to April's stomach. "Yeah, I know exactly what's up. Little Miss "I'm So Perfect" has gotten herself into a bit of trouble." She grinned.

"Eye's up here!" Casey told her, getting really annoyed.

A look of realisation crossed her face. "Oh, don't tell me you're the babydaddy!" Summer exclaimed excitedly, as if she was ready to pass on the news at a moment's notice. "What about Buckton? Did another backseat opportunity come calling?"

"Not that it's any of your business, but I'm not the father. So why don't you tell me who you found out from?" Casey wondered venomously.

Summer wasn't letting it go that easy though. "Dex? Xavier? I bet it was Xavier. He's always been easy. But then again, Dex has always been desperate."

April knew she had to take control of the situation like Casey had done in the diner. The moment Summer walked in there, she would be told of the recent revelation anyway so April wanted to at least use the information to her advantage. "Those are my friends you're talking about! Fine if you want to know who my baby's father is so badly, I guess I can tell you." Summer was practically drooling at the mouth waiting to find out. "It's Heath."

Summer's face fell just as Stu's had. "The baby's father is Heath Braxton?" she wondered, disbelievingly.

Casey nodded. "So that makes me and Brax that baby's uncles. Now do you want to tell us who told you?"

"It was Sasha." Summer said straight out. "There I told you." She said and walked away.

April and Casey looked suprisedly at each other. She kind of knew all along that it couldn't have been Dex and she should have suspected that it was Sasha. She never really liked April anyway so it wouldn't have been at any loss for her. "It was Sasha." She repeated.

Casey nodded. "So I guess that's our next port of call?"

April shook her head. "No. I think we've interrogated enough people today." She said quietly. "It doesn't matter who told people, the main thing is that people know. I guess the cat is out of the bag."

They walked along the seafront in silence. April had so many thoughts going through her head that she needed to get sorted out. Today had been a strange day for her. She didn't think that she would need to deal with all this yet, but looking back on it, April thought herself naive to expect the secret to last much longer. She knew she would have had to face up to this sooner or later and she was kind of glad that it was over with. Well April knew she would have to deal with the fallout of the recent revelation but it was better than having people whispering about her behind her back and spreading rumours about who the baby's father was.

Xavier was walking in Casey and April's direction but quickly changed his route when he saw them. April frowned and hurried after him. "Xave! Xave!" she called and he hesitated before turning around. "What's wrong?"

Xavier looked at her disbelievingly. "Are you serious? What do you think is wrong? I'll give you a hint, it might have something to do with the fact that you're pregnant by Heath Braxton!"

"Good news travels fast I see." She replied.

Xavier grimaced. "I would hardly call this good news. How could you be so stupid?"

April sighed. "You know that is becoming a bit of a cliché at this stage! I've got it from nearly everyone. I think I know very well at this stage what people think." She snapped.

"Well it's the truth. You know when we became friends again, you failed to mention that you were sleeping with the biggest sleazebag in town!"

April nodded. "See! We're friends. Friends support each other. And frankly, what I get up to with Heath is none of your business."

"Good, because I don't want to know anyway. If you're with Heath, then we're not friends anymore. I can support you with this." Xavier said shortly before walking away.

April couldn't believe that he had just said that. They had been friends for such a long time and now he wanted nothing to do with her. They were always really close and now he was acting as if that meant nothing. The day was just going from bad to worse. April's eyes began filling with tears.

Casey frowned and hugged his friend. "He'll come around." He promised. "This is just a bit of shock for him. It's a bit of a shock for everyone."

April wasn't so sure. "He's never been like that with me before. Even during everything that happed with the chemicals and everything else. I'm going home." She said and began walking away. "Tell Heath I'll catch up with him in a while. I just need time to think."

When April got home she sat on the couch in silence. Irene, Bianca and Liam were out so she had the house to herself. April just sat there for nearly two hours contemplating everything. She couldn't believe that Xavier was making her hate him. He knew her better than most and he was just giving up. April's phone kept ringing and she switched it off. She wasn't in the mood for talking to anyone. Just as it was getting dark, Bianca walked in the door.

"There you are! I've been trying to call you for half an hour." She said, slightly out of breath and a bit flustered.

April shrugged. "I switched my phone off. "

Bianca bit her lip and sat down on the arm of the couch. "April there's something I need to talk to you about. Xavier-"

April didn't want to hear it. "Xavier made his thoughts perfectly clear. I don't need him in my life. I've got Heath and you and Liam and Ruby and-"

Bianca lost her patience. "Listen to me April!" she half-shouted and April stopped talking. Bianca took a deep breath. "Xavier's been in an accident."


	21. I would've stayed up with you all night

**Chapter 21- I would have stayed up with you all night...**

April felt though she was going to be sick and it wasn't the morning sickness. She froze. "Xavier's been in an accident?" her voice was barely a whisper. Bianca nodded. "What kind of accident? What happened Bianca?" April wondered frantically. Even though Xavier had given up on her, she hadn't given up on him.

"A car accident. He was speeding in the V8 and lost control of the car. It flipped into a ditch." Bianca told her sister quietly.

The knot in April's stomach was tightening more and more by the second. She could barely breathe. "He's okay though isn't he? I just saw him today. He has to be okay."

Bianca said nothing for a moment. There was no way she wanted to tell her sister this. "No April, he's not okay. He's alive, but he's not okay. I don't know much more."

April stood up. "I need to get to the hospital now." She said and headed for the door. April felt as if her head was spinning.

Bianca followed her sister. "I'll come with you." She knew her sister would need support.

As soon as the two got to the hospital, April practically ran all the way to the A & E department. Dr Walker frowned when he saw the teenager. She was already dealing with so much lately, he feared that this could be the straw that broke the camel's back.

"Dr Walker... Xavier... where is he?" April panted, out of breath from all the running.

"He's just down the hall. April, this mightn't be the best place for you to be at the moment." He tried to advise her.

April was having none of it. "I have to see him! Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay!" she begged desperately. April felt sick that she had spent the past two hours hating him. Bianca held her sister's hand.

The doctor hesitated but there was no way he could avoid telling her the truth. He shook his head. "No April, he's not okay. Xavier's injuries were are extensive. The trauma of the crash really damaged his brain and he has substantial internal injuries. The injuries are non-operable. I'm afraid the only thing we can do now is make him as comfortable as possible." He told the young girl ruefully.

Tears ran freely down April's cheeks. She shook her head. "No. No. You can't tell me that you're making him as comfortable as possible! That's means..."

"That he's not going to make it." Bianca whispered disbelievingly. She couldn't imagine Xavier being dead, it seemed impossible.

Dr Walked sympathetically touched April's arm. "I'm very sorry." He said before walking away.

April still refused to believe it. She walked quickly down the corridor. Dr Walker had to have been playing some kind of sick joke on her. Only she knew he wasn't when she arrived at the trauma room. April looked into the room. Gina and John were at his bedside while Casey, Ruby and Dex were standing in the corridor. She hesitated before walking into the room. Neither John nor Gina turned to look at her. April couldn't take her gaze away from the scene that was before her. Xavier laid bloody in the bed with all the wires imaginable stuck into him. His heart monitor beeped feebly. She stood there, rooted to the spot, physically unable to move an inch. April felt absolutely sick.

Gina was sobbing uncontrollably while holding her son's limp hand. "My little boy." She choked out and turned to look at her husband. "I told you to sell that car!" Despite her words, Gina did not sound angry with John, something that was reinforced when he pulled her into his arms and she cried on his chest.

April was putting herself through hell picturing the accident. Ruby saw the state of her best friend and took her hand. April took Dex's. "I'm so sorry." She whispered to him through her tears. Dex nodded and put his arm around his ex-girlfriend. Xavier's accident had made him realise that he had nothing to be angry at her for. She was still alive and that was all that mattered. Dex didn't want to lose another of his friends.

Bianca stepped inside the door for a minute and was completely shocked by Xavier's state. The sight of Gina and John crying together broke her heart. It made her think of how she would feel if she ever lost April. She knew there was no greater pain and that there was nothing anyone could say that could possibly console them now. Bianca turned to her sister. "Me and Liam are going to wait outside. I'm here if you need me." She assured her sister and when April nodded she left the room again.

The whole scene brought back bad memories of when both April and Xavier ended up in hospital after the incident with the chemicals. It seemed so unfair to her that even though she was at fault, Xavier's condition was worse. The only difference between then and now was that there was hope then and there was none now. No wondering when and if he was going to wake up and no wondering if the injuries would have any long term effects. There was nothing left any one could hope for. The fact was, Xavier would not survive and the thought was impossible to bear. She stood in the corner counting everyone of his weak heartbeats, not knowing which could be his last. April placed her hand on her baby bump. That was the only thing that could keep her sane at that moment in time. The thought of the little life that was growing inside her helped to ease the pain but only slightly. April wanted nothing more than to be in Heath's arms at that moment. She needed him to hold her tightly and promise that everything would be okay even though she knew it wouldn't. April knew a massive gap would be left in her life and that wasn't helped by the fact that she spent most of Xavier's last few hours resenting him. She would never be able to tell him that she was sorry and that she loved him. He was always there for her; supported her efforts to help the environment, forgave her after she nearly killed him with noxious chemicals and accepted her when she took drugs to try get the points in her HSC to become a doctor, and it killed April to think that she couldn't be there for him anymore.

She was pulled from her train of thought though by a sustained deafening beep coming from Xavier's heart monitor.

**... Had I known how to save a life.**


	22. If I just lay here

**Chapter 22- If I just lay here**

**Hey guys. Sorry about the wait for this chapter but my internet wasn't working now. I've been having such bad luck lately! Especially with technology. Anyway, a big thank you to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. I know it came completely out of the blue. It was something I just decided as I was sitting down to write the chapter. I was really curious to see how the readers reacted. The end bit of this chapter was inspired by the song **_**Chasing Cars **_**by the epic band Snow Patrol. If you haven't heard it before, you should give it a listen . Hope you enjoy this chapter! Xx Lo**

April was numb as nurses and doctors hurried into the room to try and save Xavier. Gina and John quickly moved out of the way to let them get in. Dr Walker started doing compressions while the nurse began charging the paddles. They alternated for about five minutes before they reluctantly stopped. Sid sighed defeatedly and looked at his watch. "Time of death, 7:15 pm." He said clearly and looked at Gina. "I'm very sorry." Sid placed his hand sympathetically on her arm before exiting the room with his staff. Tears were running freely for everyone at that stage. Ruby was crying on Casey's chest and Dex pulled April close to him. The sight of Gina was heartbreaking. She held Xavier's hand tightly and sobbed. "My little boy." She cried. "You can't be gone! You just can't!"

John held his wife tightly. "Shh." He soothed her. "He's gone Gina." John whispered softly. His eyes were red and puffy aswell, but he had to be strong for his wife.

"We should give them some time." April said lifelessly and walked out the door, casting a brief glance back at her ex boyfriend's lifeless body. Everything that was happening was like an out-of-body experience. She couldn't believe that this was real. It seemed like a bad dream that she could wake up from any minute. When April walked out into the corridor, Bianca immediately pulled her sister into her arms. She was crying aswell. April couldn't hold back any longer. She rested her head on her older sister's shoulder and started sobbing. "He's gone Bianca." She choked out.

Bianca tried to hold back the tears as she stroked her sister's hair. "I know. I know."

"We had a fight today. He died thinking that I hate him. He probably died because of me." April sobbed. The reality of what was happening was just beginning to sink in.

"What did you say?" Gina said suddenly. There was no emotion in her voice, it was just weak. April turned around to look at her former principal. "You said you had an argument with Xavier a while ago. Is that the reason he and the car ended up upside down in a ditch?"

April looked at Bianca. "No. Of course it isn't. It was just a little fight. Everyone has a falling out now and again." The older Scott told her colleague. She didn't want April to feel as if all of this was her fault. God knows she had been through so much lately and April didn't need to bear the guilt of this aswell.

Gina frowned. "What was the argument about?" she wondered impatiently.

At this stage Casey, Ruby and Dex had exited the hospital room and were eyeing the situation warily. They knew Gina was upset and so was April. April hesitated for a moment and then sighed. "It was about this." She said and placed her hand on her baby bump.

Gina gasped. "You're pregnant?" she wondered disbelievingly.

April nodded. "That's what our fight was about."

"Was Xavier the father?" Gina asked straight out.

April shook her head. She really didn't want to be dropping the bombshell on Xavier's mother at a time like this. She had enough to contend with as it was. "No he isn't. He was just angry at me because... well because I'm pregnant."

"He still loved you, you know. That's why he reacted so badly. That's why my son is lying dead in that hospital bed. It's because of you April." She said harshly.

Bianca shook her head. "That's not fair. It's not April's fault. As I said, people argue all the time. How could April have known that this was going to happen? I understand that your devastated and angry Gina and I'm really sorry but April isn't to blame. She wasn't driving the car." She stood up for her little sister.

"I think it would be best if you left. " Gina said coldly.

Bianca couldn't believe that she said that, but understood that her colleague was not in a good place. She thought that it would probably be better for April and Gina if they left. "Come on April." Bianca said lowly and the three began walking away.

Casey followed. "Wait, I'll come with you." He offered.

April gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for offering but I'm fine. You stay here with Ruby. She needs you." She said weakly. "Do you know if Heath is at home?"

"He should be. Are you sure that you don't want me to come with you?"

April nodded. "I'm sure. I'm going to head over to yours so I'll probably see you later." She told Casey before she left with Bianca and Liam.

When the pulled up outside the Braxton house, Bianca wasn't too sure about letting her sister go. "April are you sure this is where you want to be right now? You're tired and upset." She pointed out. "You should come home and get some rest."

April tried to fight the tears. "I'm sure Bianca. I just need Heath right now. I'm probably going to stay the night here. Don't wait up." She said as she opened the car door and got out.

Bianca got out aswell and gave her little sister a tight hug. "Gina is just grieving. It's probably easier for her to find someone to blame. Not to say that blaming you is justified, but you just need to understand. If you need anything, I'll be at home." she said and released her sister.

April nodded. "Night." She said to both Bianca and Liam before walking up to the Braxtons' front door. She knocked and Brax opened the door.

"Hi April. Come in." He invited her and closed the door again after she walked in. Brax took one look at the state of the teenager and knew something was up. "Is everything okay?" he wondered concernedly.

Heath heard Brax talking to someone and walked into the hall to see who it was. He was surprised to see that it was April. Heath noticed that she was crying and pulled her into his arms. "What's wrong babe?" he wondered worriedly.

April rested her head on his chest. "It's Xavier. He's dead."

The two Braxton brothers exchanged shocked looks. "Well I guess that's where Casey disappeared to."

Heath's heart broke for his girlfriend. "What happened to him?" he wondered, still in complete and utter shock. Heath had never been Xavier's biggest fan and vice versa, but he was still a bit upset by the news.

"He was speeding in the V8 and lost control of the car. It was my fault Heath. He found out about us and the baby and we got into a fight. I was the reason that he even took the car out in the first place. Gina thinks it was my fault and so do I. It's my fault he's dead." April sobbed.

Brax put his hand on her back aswell. He had no idea what to say to her. He also knew that it wouldn't be easy for anyone to comfort her now.

"Shh. It wasn't your fault April. It was just an accident. Please don't blame yourself." Heath begged her. "Xavier wouldn't want you to." Despite his words, he also felt slightly guilty about what had happened to April's ex.

"I just need you Heath. I need you to hold me as tight as you can and tell me that everything is going to be okay."

Heath kissed the mother of his unborn baby's head. "I can do that. Come on, let's go lie down." He said and led her into the bedroom that they now shared most nights. Heath wasn't quite sure how to fix her, but he knew he had to do his absolute best. He held her in his arms as they lay together.

"Please don't ever leave me." April whispered through her tears.

Heath was in tears because she was. He couldn't bear the thought of ever being without her now that he had found April. "I won't babe. I swear." He promised her.


	23. All the things she said

**Chapter 23- All the things she said**

The next morning Heath left a sleeping April to go and make some coffee and breakfast. It was nearly twelve o'clock but she had been completely worn out by the previous day. He hated to see the woman he loved hurting like that. April had been through so much lately and the next few days would be even harder for her. Heath knew that she had just lost someone that had been a huge part of her life for the past few years and he knew that he wouldn't be able to make up for that. He could be there for her, but he couldn't take away the pain this loss would cause.

While Heath was making coffee, there was a knock on the door and he went to get it. He was shocked to see Gina when he opened the door. She looked emotionally drained. Heath frowned. "I know it probably won't help in the slightest, but I'm very sorry for your loss. Xavier was a good kid."

Gina nodded. "Yes he was. Thank you. Is April here? I called over to Irene's a few minutes ago but Bianca said that she stayed the night here."

"She's still asleep and I know that you're hurting, but if you've come here to blame her-"

She shook her head. "No, I haven't. I promise."

April woke up to find that Heath was no longer in the bed next to her. She put on a dressing gown and went out to the kitchen to see if he was there. April was shocked to see him standing at the door talking to Gina. "Come in." She invited her former principal.

Heath closed the door behind her. "I'm going to leave you two talk." He said and disappeared into the bedroom.

"Would you like a coffee or something?" April offered apprehensively.

Gina shook her head. "No thank you. I've come here to apologise. I shouldn't have said the things I did yesterday." She said ruefully.

April couldn't believe that she had come to apologise with everything that was going on. "There's no need to apologise Mrs Palmer. You just lost your son; you don't need to be worrying about me as well."

"No, I couldn't leave things like that. I was wrong to blame you April. This was never your fault. You didn't make Xavier do what he did. I'm not trying to make excuses for the way I acted; I just hope you understand that Xave was the second son that I've lost. I was- I am, devastated." Gina said with tears in her eyes.

April nodded. "I know. No matter how awful I'm feeling now, I know you're feeling a million times worse. I can't even begin to imagine how terrible a time this is for you know. What you said made me think of how I would feel if I ever lost my baby... I completely understand. Don't worry about me. You need to concentrate on your own grief." She told her sincerely. April had been very upset about what her former principal had said the previous night but that was before she really thought about how she would feel if she were in Gina's situation.

Gina gave her a hug. "Thank you for your understanding, April. I meant one thing I said last night though; Xavier loved you. Which is why I want to ask you if you will say a few words at the funeral? You really touched my son's heart and I think it would mean the world to him if you did."

Tears were beginning to form in April's eyes again. "Of course I will do it. I always loved Xavier and I always will. I would be honoured to speak at his funeral. Thank you so much for asking me." She said sincerely and wiped the moisture from her eyes.

"I best be going. I'll be in touch about the funeral in the next day or so." Gina said as she headed towards the door again.

April showed her out. "I really am sorry Mrs Palmer. Please give my condolences to John."

Gina nodded and smiled weakly through her tears before walking out the door. April closed it when she was gone and threw herself wearily down on the couch. Losing Xavier felt as if it had left a massive aching hole in her heart. She put her head in her hands and started to cry again. It just wasn't fair that someone as good and kind as Xavier could be taken from them. Heath came back out of the bedroom and sat down next to April on the couch. He pulled his girlfriend into his arms and held her tightly. Heath had no idea what to say to her, but he also knew anything he did say wouldn't be good enough to ease her pain.

"He's really gone Heath. This isn't just some really bad dream. I wish more than anything that I could just wake up and none of this would have happened. I wish that I could just go back to yesterday and stop him from getting in that car." April sobbed against his chest.

Heath nodded and kissed the top of her head. "I know babe, so do I but there's nothing we can do to change what happened. We can't change the past and thinking about if we could isn't going to help. You know if we could we would have saved Xavier but we can't and dwelling on that isn't going to make the pain go away. It will only make it worse, believe me. When my dad left my mum, I spent months obsessive over what I could have done to make things turn out differently; over what I could have done to make him stay. And the answer I finally came up with was nothing. We can't change the way a person thinks or feels. The only thing we can do is try to move forward. It will hurt, but that's the only way to ever get out of this moment. It may seem like you'll be stuck forever but I'm going to help you through, I promise April."


	24. you're not alone cause you're here

**Hey guys I'm back :p Sorry that I haven't updated in ages, I just really didn't get the time to sit down and write this chapter but I am back from my hiatus and I will endeavour to update regularly again. Thank you so much to everyone who's reviewed and alerted this story so far You're all amazing. I hope you continue to enjoy this story xx Lo**

**Chapter 24- You're not alone, cause you're here with me**

April was conflicted for ages about what she should say in her speech. There were a million things that she wanted to say, but just could not find the words to express them. The gesture for the boy who was one of her best friends was proving to be one of the most difficult things April had ever done. She tried to keep her composure as well as possible while writing the speech, but every few minutes April would break down in tears again as she remembered a good memory they had shared or something Xavier had said. The fact that he was gone hit her in waves; she would remember and forget and remember again, and the anguish she felt didn't lessen at all.

It broke Heath's heart to see the woman he loved in such a state, but he knew there was nothing he could do that could possibly make her feel better. Nothing could make up for the loss she was experiencing. Despite this, Heath vowed to remain by April's side. Whenever she began crying again, he would silently pull her into his arms and hold her tight. Heath, Casey and Brax had been trying their very best to look out for the young girl but there was only so much they could do. April needed to come to terms with this by herself; no-one else could do it for her.

When the morning of the funeral came, April felt numb. The mixture of nerves, despair and morning sickness only made the situation worse. She knew she would need a lot of strength to make it through the day. April put on the black maternity dress that Bianca had bought for her the day before and she awkwardly put on black heels whilst trying to avoid her baby bump. She stared at herself in the mirror and frowned. There was something missing: colour. April knew that Xavier wouldn't want everyone to wear black. He was such a fun loving and vibrant person. She picked up a large colourful butterfly clip from the dresser and secured it to her curly up-do. April smiled. That clip had been given to her by Xavier for her birthday a year ago. He knew that she loved hair accessories. Heath joined her in the room. He was wearing a black suit, white shirt and a black tie. Heath took April's hand and kissed her softly. "Are you ready to go?" The sympathy was evident in his voice.

April nodded briefly. "Just promise me one thing?"

Heath nodded. "Anything."

She sighed against his chest. "Stay with me. I don't think I can do this without you."

He frowned. Heath hated that he couldn't do anything to help her. "Of course. I'll be by your side all day, I swear. I just want you to know that you're not alone." That was all he wanted.

April nodded. "I know, because I'm with you. When I'm with you I'm never alone."

When Heath and April arrived at the church they met Liam, Bianca and Irene outside. The minute Bianca saw her sister she pulled her into a hug with all the force she had. She needed April just as much today as her sister needed her. "How are you feeling?" Bianca wondered lowly.

April sighed. "Okay, I guess. I just wish this little one would give me a break today of all days." She said and placed her hand on her bump. It was still quite small considering that she was nearly five months pregnant.

"How are you doing Irene?" Heath wondered, making April smile. Their relationship had vastly improved in the past month or two. They were able to have a civilised conversation now which made everyone's life a lot easier.

Irene nodded. "Well darl, it seems to be just one thing after another these days but I guess I'm doing okay. I'm starting to feel like myself again."

Heath smiled. "That's great. You can really see the difference."

Bianca was still finding it hard to come to terms with the fact that things had become so casual with themselves and Heath. "We should probably go inside." She suggested and they all made their way into the church.

During the service, April found it very hard to concentrate. She couldn't stop thinking about the speech she would have to make soon. After all her deliberation, April had decided it would be best if she just went up to the altar and spoke from the heart. It would have meant more to Xavier than just reading from some cue cards.

"Now I would like to invite Xavier's good friend April Scott to come up and say a few words." Elijah said and Heath gave April's hand one last reassuring squeeze before she made her way up to the pulpit. She looked down at all her friends and relations and took a deep breath before speaking. "When I first arrived in Summer Bay, I didn't like Xavier. I thought he was self absorbed and rude but I couldn't have been more wrong. I had heard some bad things about him and made my own assumptions, but fortunately soon after I got to know the real Xavier Austin. He was a guy that was kind, caring and selfless beyond belief. I only knew him for about three years, but in those three years he became one of my best friends. Xave always looked out for me, even when and after I nearly killed us both. He really had a sense of right and wrong. I know he would have made an amazing police man one day. It's nothing less than a tragedy that someone like Xavier has been taken by us and even more so because we never got to say goodbye. And I know no matter how much I'm hurting, it doesn't even compare to the grief Gina and John are experiencing at the moment. I just want to tell you two that my thoughts and prayers are with you and that all of us are going to give you all the support we possibly can. No parent should have to lose a child.

"If I got the chance to say one last thing to Xavier it would be that I love him. The two of us had our highs and lows but I never stopped loving him and I never will. I would also thank him for everything he's given me. He helped me through some of the darkest times in my life and I just want him to know how grateful I am to have had such an amazing person in my life, even if it was for an unbearably short period of time. Finally, I would like to say- no swear- to him that I will never forget him. I love you Xave." April finished and the tears trickled down her cheeks. April made her way back down to her seat and cried on Heath's chest.

**Really hope you liked that I have just made a Twitter account that ties with this one and my handle is Gleefulbabe. I'd love some of you to follow and tweet me. I will follow back xx**


	25. Time can never mend

**Hello again I'm so glad I got to update again today! I was sitting down watching H+A today and I suddenly got this idea and I knew I had to include it in this story. Please let me know what you think Also, I know some of you were having trouble finding me on Twitter so here's my url: https:/twitter(dot)com/#!/gleefulbabe. If you still can't find me, PM me your username and I'll follow you xx**

**Chapter 25- Time can never mend**

After the service, everyone went to the grave yard for the burial. All Xavier's friends and family watched sombrely as his coffin was lowered into the ground. It was a very poignant moment for April as it cemented the notion that Xavier wasn't coming back. Her red eyes held no more tears, so she just watched the scene whilst leaning up against Heath's front. He put his arms around her waist and rested them on her baby bump. April took Bianca's hand. Watching people throwing flowers into Xavier's grave was one of the hardest things she ever had to witness. April still couldn't wrap her head around how unfair it was that someone as good and kind as Xavier could be taken from them.

She looked around and saw that Ruby was crying in Charlie's arms. Charlie's eyes were red and puffy as well. Brax had his arm around his girlfriend. So many people had gathered to pay their respects to Xavier, showing just how many people he had touched in his life. No-one present could have said a bad word about him. Sergeant Watson, whom Xavier had become close to when he started training at the police academy, placed the Australian flag over his grave. He had not qualified as a police officer, but it was evident that if he had been given the chance, Xavier would have been an officer of the highest standard.

After saying their last goodbyes, everyone went back to Angelo's. April was touched to see that Angelo, Nicole and baby George had returned for the funeral. She hugged Nicole. "It's good to see you again Nic."

Nicole smiled lightly. "Yeah, I only wish it were under better circumstances." She shook her head. "I can't believe he's gone."

"Neither can I." It still felt like there was a massive aching hole in her chest.

"I believe congratulations are in order." Angelo smiled and gestured towards her swollen stomach.

April smiled and placed one of her hands on her bump. "Thank you. It came as a bit of a surprise to say the least."

Nicole nodded. "I know how you feel. How far along are you?" she wondered.

"Four and a half months. It feels like I'm getting bigger and bigger every day." April chuckled.

"Just wait until you hit seven months. Trust me; you don't know what big is yet. So is Dex the father?" the blonde wondered.

April shook her head. "No, it's Heath."

As soon as she said that, a pair of hands appeared on her waist and Heath kissed her cheek. "What am I?" he wondered. Nicole and Angelo were in complete shock. They couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing.

April smiled and rubbed her stomach. "This little one's daddy."

Heath nodded. "Yep, that's me."

Nicole smiled. "Wow, congratulations. How long have you two been together?" she was still a little dubious. Heath Braxton most certainly didn't seem like the boyfriend or fatherly type.

"Em, just over six months. That's right isn't it babe?" Heath wondered.

April shrugged. "Yeah I suppose around that. It hasn't seemed like six months. Where's baby George?"

Angelo chuckled. "Irene commandeered him the moment we arrived. We'll be lucky to get him back."

"How's he doing?"

Nicole nodded. "Great. He's beginning to walk and he said his first word the other day. I cried. Being a mother does strange things to you. You'll know what I'm talking about soon enough."

"Hopefully. So what was his first word?" April wondered curiously.

Nicole frowned. "Elsom. That's why I cried. I was expecting mama or dada but no our baby had to say the name of the Australian rugby team captain. I've banned Angelo from watching sports while Georgie's around."

April turned to Heath. "Consider yourself warned." She told him. "So this is just a visit? You're not coming back are you?"

Angelo bit his lip. "Well, things are going great for us in the city at the moment. I'm actually about to open another restaurant, but I don't know if we'll be staying there indefinitely."

Nicole nodded. "I don't think you've seen the back of us." She joked. "The city is great but I think I'd prefer little George to grow up in a place like this. I really miss Summer Bay. Especially all our friends." She frowned.

"We miss you two as well. You have to come back for Liam and Bianca's wedding next month." April informed them instead of asking them.

Nicole's jaw dropped. "Bianca and Liam are getting married? I didn't know they were engaged. "

April nodded. "Yeah. Liam proposed one day when Bianca was on her way out of the gym. It was very unromantic."

Gina joined them. "April, can I speak to you for a moment?" she wonderd.

"Of course." April said and excused herself before following Gina.

"I just wanted to tell you how thankful I was for your speech today. It was really beautiful." Gina praised her.

April smiled. "I'm glad you liked it. I tried to write it for ages and ages but Xave wouldn't have wanted me to go up there and read from some cue cards. He deserves better than that. I'm glad that I got to say my goodbye like that, it really helped."

Gina smiled lightly. "Everyone was telling me what a great tribute to Xavier it was. I really can't thank you enough, it made the service special. I want to give you this..." She said and handed April a large photo album. April recognised it immediately and opened it. It was the album that she and Xavier had made with pictures of them when they were together. Tears started to fill her eyes again, but this time they were tears of happiness. "Xavier would have wanted you to have it."

April hugged her former principal. "Thank you so much Gina."

"I thought it would be something that you could remember him by. I also want to apologise again over what I said the other day. I hope you can forgive me."

"Of course. I understand completely. Please don't worry about it." April told her.

Gina nodded. "Thank you for your understanding. Please excuse me, I have to go find John." She said before leaving.

April smiled to herself as she made her way over to Heath. He put his arm around her. "What's that?" he wondered, gesturing towards the large book in his girlfriend's arms.

"A photo album. It was Xave's-" April stopped talking immediately when she saw _her_. Heath stared at her in confusion before following her gaze. He knew immediately what was bothering April; walking towards them was none other than Henri.

She smiled smugly as she approached them. "Hello Heath." Henri said and placed her hands on her very large baby bump...


	26. There's no comfort in the truth

**Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter. I'm really glad you all liked it. So Henri's back... Yay... Not! I don't really like her and I know what you're thinking, this is my story and I didn't have to write her in but I couldn't resist. Now I would just like to say one thing in advance, I'm sorry **

**Chapter 26- There's no comfort in the truth**

April and Heath stared at Henri in shock. Neither could believe that she had showed up again not least that she was pregnant. "What are you doing here?" Heath wondered apprehensively.

"What do you think? I'm here to pay my respects to Xavier." Henri replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

April frowned. "You barely knew him." She knew that the blonde had an ulterior motive for coming back and was extremely wary about that.

Henri ignored April's comment. "Okay well that's not the only reason that I came back... I see we have another thing in common now April." She smiled falsely as she gestured to April's stomach.

April arched an eyebrow. "'Another' thing? What else do we have in common?"

Heath's heart started beating faster. She wouldn't tell her would she? "We were actually trying to have a conversation, in private, so if you don't mind..."

Henri chuckled humourlessly. "Always trying to protect yourself, aren't you Heath? Well you seemed to have failed. Two babies? That really is dumb." She dropped the bomb.

All Heath's suspicions were confirmed. He hated Henri at that moment. She didn't care who she hurt.

April looked from Henri to Heath and back. She was praying that Heath's ex wasn't implying what she thought she was. "Heath, what is she talking about?" her stomach twisted.

Henri smiled and rubbed her pregnant stomach. "This is Heath's baby too. So I guess that makes our little ones siblings."

April felt as if she was going to be sick. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat but it wasn't working. Tears began to fill her eyes. "You're lying." April's voice was barely a whisper. She turned her gaze to Heath. "Tell me she's lying!"

Heath was lost for words. No matter how much he wanted to spare April's feelings, he couldn't deny it. Heath placed his hand on her arm. "April, I'm so sor-"

April furiously shook his hand off. "Don't touch me!" she shouted at him and turned back to Henri again. "When?" April wondered lividly, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

Henri's smile widened. "About four and a half months."

April shook her head. "I don't believe this." She chuckled humourlessly.

Heath tried to take her hand but she quickly pulled it out of his grasp. "April, you don't know how sorry I am. I love you. I love you and our baby."

April shook her head and began to walk away. "I have nothing to say to you know." She said venomously and left the two of them. The tears were now running freely down her cheeks.

Heath sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, frustrated. He couldn't believe this was happening. He and April's relationship had fortified so much in the past couple of months and now all that could possibly be gone. "What the hell are you playing at?"

Henri frowned. "Oh I'm sorry if you getting me pregnant is inconvenient for you." She said sarcastically.

"Don't you get that this isn't about me? I don't give a stuff about you telling me but you shouldn't have brought April into this! How stupid are you? She just watched her best friend be buried. Her nineteen year old best friend! And she blames herself for that. This is about me and you, leave her out of it." He was so angry at Henri for being so callous in telling April that she was having his baby too. "And at a funeral no less."

Henri shrugged. "Well she would have found out sooner or later. You can't just hide this from her. She has a right to know."

Heath was fuming. "Yeah but she also had a right to find out from me. You had no right to tell her like you did."

"I think you're forgetting that this is your doing!" Henri reminded him.

Heath nodded. "Yeah, it is. But you waited four months to tell me that you were having my baby! Can you blame me for being upset?"

"Well I'm telling you now. So what are we going to do?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So you just spring the fact that you're nearly five months pregnant with my child on me and expect me to have the answer to all problems automatically? Go home Henri, I'll talk to you tomorrow."

Bianca had seem her sister leave Angelo's in a hurry. She seemed upset so Bianca decided to follow her sister. Bianca finally found April down on the beach with her head in her hands. She frowned and sat down on the sand next the younger Scott. Bianca put her arm around her sister. "What's wrong?"

April sobbed. "It's Henri. She's back." She half shouted.

Bianca frowned. "And I take it that's not a good thing?"

April shook her head. "No it's not. Neither is the fact that she's pregnant with Heath's baby!"

Bianca gasped. She had not been expecting to hear that at all. Her hatred for Heath started to come out again. "She's what? How far along is she?" Bianca knew that this was exactly what her sister didn't need right now.

"Around the same as me which means Heath was sleeping with her while he was sleeping with me. I hate her so much!" April cried on her sister's shoulder. "I thought me and Heath had something special, but he was sleeping with her. What am I supposed to do now? What about my baby? What about _hers_? I have no idea what to do."

The older Scott made a mental note to have a little chat with Heath and Henri for that matter. Seeing April like that was breaking her heart. "I know this is a big shock for you and it's awful that you had to find out on a day like today, but no matter what happens with Heath and Henri, you'll still have me and Liam and Irene and Ruby... You won't have to deal with this on your own." Bianca promised her.

"I can't believe this is happening. Everything was going so well... I should have known that it was too good to last. More fool me."

Bianca frowned. "Hey this isn't your fault. None of this is your fault. This is Heath and Henri's fault. I hope you and Heath can work this out."

April stared out at the sea. "Yeah, well I don't know if I'm going to be able to get past this. She kept this from him for months and just decides that she'll make an appearance now. She can't do that. She's just trying to take him back. It's not fair." She cried.

Bianca hugged her sister. There were tears in her eyes as well. "I know it is." Bianca felt her sister shiver. "It's cold, we should get you home. I take it that's going to be Irene's tonight?" April nodded and Bianca helped her up. "You're going to be okay April, even if it is without Heath." She promised. Bianca would make sure of it.

**All I would like to say now, as quoted from The Swan Princess my favourite childhood movie, "It's not what it seems" so I don't lose all my readers! Xx Lo**


	27. Forgive me is all you can't say

**Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! I've got over 150 on this story now which is about 146 more than I had anticipated when I first published this story :P You guys are really great So here's the next chapter. There's been a lot of speculation over the credibility of what Henri is claiming but my lips are sealed :P You'll have to wait and see! Hope you enjoy this chapter xx Lo**

**Chapter 27- Forgive me is all you can't say**

After leaving Henri, Heath went to find April immediately. He had to find her and make things right. He refused to lose the best thing that's ever happened to him. Not even an hour ago he and April's future seemed so promising but now Henri's appearance threatened all of that. Heath still couldn't believe he was so stupid, not only did he sleep with Henri while he was with April but he got her pregnant as well. When April found out she was pregnant Heath knew it was going to be okay because he loved April and she loved him but with Henri it was a complete different story.

Heath found Liam in Angelo's. "Have you seen April?" he asked wearily.

Liam nodded. "Yeah, Bianca took her home. She seemed really upset. I'm assuming that had something to do with you?" He said harshly.

Heath didn't acknowledge the accusation. "I'll go to Irene's so." He said and left. He practically ran to Irene's house. When he got there, he briskly knocked on the door. It didn't surprise him that it was Bianca that answered it.

She looked less than pleased. "What do you want?" she wondered coldly.

He gave his ex a knowing look. "You know why I'm here. I really need to talk to April."

Bianca shook her head. "No way. She doesn't want to talk to you Heath. And to be perfectly honest, I don't blame her. Do you know how much she gave up for you?"

Heath frowned. "I know, that's why I have to make it better. I love her and I love the baby she's carrying." He said desperately.

"Yeah? Well you should have thought of that before you impregnated another woman! Congratulations Heath, you broke my sister's heart just like I knew you would. You know what? Just go. You're not going to see April tonight." Bianca told him before closing the door.

April came out of her room. "Was that Heath?" she frowned.

Bianca nodded. "But it's okay, I got rid of him. He needs to know that you don't just come running when he calls, especially when he does something like this."

Tears began running down April's cheeks again and Bianca pulled her sister into her arms. "I still love him Bianca. What am I going to do?"

Bianca sighed. "I don't know April. I'd love to tell you what you should do, but I just don't know. This is something you need to think about carefully." She reminded her.

April wiped her eyes. "I know." She said lowly and rubbed her stomach out of force of habit. "Bianca do we have any pistachio ice cream?"

Bianca arched an eyebrow. "Pistachio ice cream? April you hate pistachio ice cream."

April shrugged wearily. "I know but I have a craving for it."

The older Scott smiled. "How about I go to the shop and get some and then we can get into our pyjamas and watch a girly movie?"

April nodded and smiled lightly. "That sounds good. I need to take my mind off everything."

When Heath got home he slammed the door behind him and slammed his fist up against the wall. He was so frustrated with this situation. Heath wanted nothing more to hold the woman that he loved in his arms. She was still hurting over Xavier's death and now she had all this to deal with as well. He couldn't even begin to imagine how she was feeling and it killed him to know that he couldn't even try to comfort her.

Brax walked into the sitting room and frowned at his brother. "Mind the wall bro. What's up?" he wondered concernedly.

Heath sighed ,frustrated , and threw his hands up behind his head. "Guess who showed up at Angelo's today?"

Brax shrugged. "I couldn't even begin to imagine. I take it that it wasn't someone you didn't particularly want to see?"

Heath nodded. Anger filled him again. "It was Henri."

Brax frowned. "What's she doing back? I thought she got a job in a school in Sydney?"

"I'll tell you what she's doing back; she's trying to ruin my relationship with April! And she's succeeding!" Heath said furiously.

"Why? What did she do? You and April are pretty solid."

The younger Braxton chuckled humourlessly. "We _were_. When your ex girlfriend shows up nearly five months pregnant with your child it kinda throws a spanner in the works!"

Brax's jaw dropped. That had been the last thing he had expected to hear. "You're kidding? –No pun intended."

Heath nodded. "Yeah. And she decided to break the news in front of April."

"Yeah, that probably wasn't the best way to go about it. So they're both around five months gone?" Brax wondered, implying that the fault wasn't solely on Henri.

Heath rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I slept with her once or twice when me and April started out. Which is the worst mistake I've ever made."

Brax rubbed his neck. "Well it's not exactly Henri's fault... I'm sure she didn't plan to get pregnant."

Heath shot his brother an evil look. "Who's side are you on? And I know it's not all her fault, but she waited until she was five months pregnant to tell me that she's having my baby!"

Brax frowned. He remembered something, but decided not to relay that information to his brother yet. "Just calm down mate, getting all worked up about it isn't going to help the situation."

If looks could kill, Brax would have been dead five times over. "Do not tell me to calm down Brax! In case you haven't quite got the picture, I'm screwed beyond belief!" he shouted just as Casey walked in the front door.

Ruby was by his side but frowned when she saw the scene. "I'll catch up with you in a while Case." She gave him a kiss and then left.

Casey frowned at his brother's. "What's going on?"


	28. Confessions

**Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter You guys are amazing! I'm not completely satisfied with this chapter, but hopefully you will enjoy it. I'm not going to torture you any longer :P Please let me know what you think xx Lo**

**Chapter 28- Confessions**

Heath didn't look like he felt like explaining again so Brax decided to take over while his brother sulked. "Henri's back in town and she dropped a bit of a bombshell on Heath at the funeral."

Casey arched an eyebrow. "What did she tell him?" he wondered apprehensively.

Brax knew exactly what was going through his younger brother's mind at that moment. "Well, she's nearly five months pregnant with Heath's baby." He was aiming to get a certain reaction out of Casey. The youngest Braxton's face fell. All the colour drained from his complexion. That reaction was all Brax needed for a confirmation. Luckily Heath wasn't paying attention.

"She's what?" Casey could barely manage to get the words out of his mouth.

Brax kept his poker face on. "Is there something you would like to tell Heath, Case?"

Heath's head shot up and he looked between his two brothers. "What are you talking about Brax?" he had a feeling there was something he didn't know.

Casey was looking increasingly nervous. "I- I..."

Heath definitely knew something was up and he sure as hell was going to find out what it was. "What's he talking about Casey?" he demanded, raising his voice at his younger brother.

Brax stepped in between the two. "Okay, calm down mate." He warned his brother.

Heath glared at him. "You two are keeping something from me and I want to know what it is! It's obviously important."

Brax sighed. He didn't want to force his younger brother's hand but Heath had a right to know. "Casey, if you don't tell him, I will." He warned.

The youngest Braxton sighed and drew a deep breath. "I was sleeping with Henri." He finally managed to say.

Heath clenched his jaw. "When?" he said shortly, not wanting to get ahead of himself.

"Just after the formal." Casey answered reluctantly.

Hope began to flood Heath. "Wait, does that mean there's a chance that it isn't my baby?" He hoped with every inch of his being that it was so.

Casey nodded timidly. "More than a chance... We didn't use protection a couple of times."

To Heath there were two possible situations; either Henri didn't know who the father was or she had lied about it. Even if it were the former, he had to believe that there had to be a greater chance that Casey was the father. Heath had used protection all three times they had slept together. "We're getting this sorted now." He said frustratedly and headed for the door again. Casey reluctantly followed his brother.

Angelo's was the first place they tried and luckily they found Henri there. She smiled when she saw Heath but that smile quickly disappeared when she saw that Casey was with him. Henri put on a fake smile. "Casey, it's good to see you again."

Heath rolled his eyes. "Cut the crap Henri. When you told me that you were pregnant with my baby you failed to mention that you were sleeping with Casey before you slept with me. You can either tell us which one is the father or I'm requesting a paternity test." He told the blonde straight out.

Henri bit her lip and rubbed her face. "Okay, I lied. Heath you're not the father. I'm so sorry I don't know what I was thinking-"

Heath couldn't believe what she was saying. "So you lied about that being my child and you're _sorry_? Do you know how completely messed up that is. I thought I had gotten you pregnant but it was actually my brother's baby! And not to mention you probably just ruined my relationship with the only girl I've ever loved and who is _actually _having my child!"

"Why didn't you just tell me that the baby was mine?" Casey wondered, hurt by her actions.

Henri sighed. "Because you're with Ruby."

Heath's jaw dropped. "So you didn't want to ruin Casey's relationship but you didn't think twice before ruining mine? Do you know what? You're pathetic!" he shouted before storming off.

"Wait where are you going?" Casey called after his brother.

Heath clenched his jaw. "To go and try to salvage my relationship, what do you think?" he snapped before heading to Irene's again.

Tears began to form in her eyes. "He hates me, doesn't he?" Henri assumed.

"Well I guess he won't be joining your fan club anytime soon." Casey replied sarcastically before getting serious again. "Do you not think that I'm father material?"

Henri shook her head. "No, Casey that's not what I thought at all." She promised him.

He threw his hands up disbelievingly. "Then what were you thinking Henri? 'Cause I'm having a hard time understanding. What would possess you to lie about who your baby's father is?"

"Because if I told Heath and he didn't want anything to do with me or the baby I could take it, because he's Heath Braxton. But if I told you and you didn't want to know about it... I don't know what I would do." She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

Casey sighed and reluctantly hugged the blonde. "I know you must be terrified, but Henri what you did was really stupid. I don't think Heath will ever be able to forgive you."

Henri nodded. "I know... but what about you? Will you be able to forgive me?"

As much as Casey wanted to hold a grudge over this, he couldn't. She was pregnant with his child. His son or daughter. "You're forgiven. But please don't lie to me again."

Henri looked him in the eye. "I swear, I will never lie to you or anyone ever again."

"Good. So where are you staying tonight?"

She looked sheepish. "I don't know. This didn't exactly turn out the way I had planned. Maybe I'll go back to the city. It was a bad idea to come back."

Casey shook his head. "No, I'm glad you did. You can crash at mine tonight. I'll take the couch. "

Henri didn't think that was a good idea at all. "There is no way Heath is going to want me there at all."

"Well Heath doesn't have a choice. Besides, if he makes up with April he probably won't be back tonight. If she takes him back. Pregnancy has made her very strong willed."

Henri shook her head. "No way. I'm not staying at yours. I'll book into the caravan park while I'm getting a place of my own sorted out."

"I'm not asking Henri, I'm telling. Come on." He told her. Henri reluctantly agreed and Casey lead her out to her car.


	29. Love really hurts without you

**I am so sorry that I haven't updated in ages! I just needed to leave this for a while and come back with a fresh approach. I know this chapter was long overdue and I will sincerely try to update as frequently as I can. I know I've said that before so I'm not making any promises but I really love this story and I love writing it so I will try my best. Especially because summer is nearly here and as soon as I finish my exams I should be free. Thank you for your patience and I really hope you like this chapter Love you all, xx Lo**

**Chapter 29- Love really hurts without you**

Once again Heath made his way to Irene's door. He really needed to talk to April and wouldn't leave until he had. Heath knew that just because the baby wasn't his wouldn't make the fact that he had slept with Henri in the first place while they were together any better but he was sure that that was what April was most upset about and maybe they could work through everything else. Their relationship had really blossomed in the past few months and in a couple of months they would be welcoming a new addition. Surely all that was still there and he wasn't going to give up on the woman he loved and the child she was carrying without a fight.

Heath knocked on the door again and waited. When there was no answer after a minute he knocked again and twice more until Bianca finally opened the door.

"You really don't seem to be getting the message do you? You are not going to talk to my sister tonight. Don't you see that you've upset her enough already?" She wondered coldly.

"Bianca I have to explain. Henri-" Heath began but she cut him off.

Bianca stared at her former boyfriend in disbelief. "I do not want to hear it Heath. You made your decisions, now you have to live with them. You weren't thinking about my sister when you were sleeping with Henri, why should she even hear what you have to say? You've done enough to hurt her already. Just go. She's asleep in bed anyway. Think about how much this is affecting her and your- sorry _her _baby." She said with disgust evident in her voice and shut the door.

Heath understood what the older Scott was saying, but that made him even more determined to talk to April and he knew exactly how he would go about it. Just like old times. Heath made his way around the back of the house to April's window and cursed under his breath when it was shut. He looked in the window at his girlfriend. She was lying down on the bed facing the other direction so he couldn't see if she was actually asleep.

Inside, April clung to her baby bump as she cried. She should have known that everything was too perfect. Something had to give sooner or later but she couldn't bear the fact that that something was one of the things that she wouldn't have willingly given up until today, and even now she wasn't sure what she should do. April loved Heath so much that it hurt but now she was left doubting whether he felt the same way or if it had all been a lie. A lie that she had completely and utterly fallen for against her better judgement. She knew that Heath was bad news and yet she left herself fall for him and he surprised her. April got to see the real Heath and fell in love with him and now she was left questioning everything they had. She honestly had no idea what to feel. She was scared about the future if Heath was no longer in her life. April knew that Bianca and Irene and everyone would help her with the baby, but she wasn't sure if she could or wanted to do it without Heath. She just wished that all of this would just disappear and everything could go back to the way it had been.

April was pulled from her train of thought by a knocking on the window. It took her about a minute to actually realise what it was, such was the state of her mind at that moment. She knew who it was even before she turned over and the thought made butterflies appear in her stomach much to her chagrin. She was completely overwhelmed by a million different emotions; hope, fear, love, hate, relief, anxiety... the list went on and on. Finally, April made the decision to face the window and saw the face that made her fall in love a million times over. The face that was now breaking her heart at the same time.

"_Please let me in._" Heath mouthed earnestly.

Against April's better judgement, she decided to do just that. She knew that Bianca would be absolutely furious, but this was her future- the future of her unborn child that was on the line. She owed it to herself to at least hear what he had to say. April opened the window and sat down on the bed in silence as Heath clambered in as he had done many times before, although all on better occasion. When he was on his feet in the room, April stood up again.

"I'm so sorry April-" Heath began but April had other ideas. She gathered all her force and slapped him across the face. He took it. "I deserved that."

April nodded. "Yes, you did." She said, her voice gave away no emotion. "Now I take it you've come to say something?"

Heath nodded. "Yes. First of all, you do not know how unbelievably sorry I am April. Doing what I did was the biggest mistake I've ever made. It was back when we first started seeing each other and before I fell in love with you but I know that is not any excuse. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Please believe that." He said desperately.

She sighed. "I don't doubt what you say Heath, but you have to understand, my trust has been broken. You got another woman pregnant!"

He quickly shook his head. "No I didn't."

April arched an eyebrow. "I was there Heath." She reminded him.

"Yeah well I thought I got her pregnant too but I told Brax and he forced Casey into admitting that he was the father. It turns out that they were sleeping together for a while. The baby is definitely Casey's." Heath assured the brunette.

April was lost for words. She had not foreseen something that outcome. Then again, she hadn't really seen anything that happened today coming. "What?" her voice was barely a whisper as she was overwhelmed by feelings of pure relief.

Heath smiled. "It's true. They didn't use protection a couple of times. April I am not the baby's father."

She suddenly slapped Heath across the face again, but afterwards threw her arms around him and buried her face in his muscular chest. "You. Do. Not. Know. How. Much. You. Scared. Me! If something like this ever happens again I swear I will neuter you! Do you hear me Heath Braxton?" April shouted but she was actually unbelievably relieved. The fact that Heath had slept with another woman didn't seem half as bad now.

Heath nodded. "I hear you. Does that mean I'm forgiven?"

April looked up at the middle Braxton and couldn't help but smile. "I'm working on it." She said and kissed him. Hope was quickly returning.


	30. Would you hold it against me?

**I am unbelievably sorry about the wait for this chapter! I don't even know how long it's been since I updated last. Please don't hate me! *offers cookie* *and another* I needed to wait it out so I could actually come up with something that was someway decent. Don't know when I'm going to update again but I will continue to update! Even if it is sporadically. Thank you so much for all your patience and support. I just hope that you all still have interest in this story **** Anyway, enjoy.**

**Chapter 30- Would you hold it against me?**

Bianca hadn't gotten much sleep the previous night. After the funeral and everything that had happened with April, she spent the whole night worrying. These days it was seemingly one bad thing happening after another and the blond couldn't wait for her upcoming wedding to lift everyone's spirits. It was just over four weeks away and she was getting pretty excited.

Unfortunately, it wasn't that simple for her sister. The whole pregnancy had been like a rollercoaster so far and that didn't look likely to change in the near future. Most of that was the fault of Heath Braxton. Bianca wanted so much to believe that he had changed but after recent developments, she wasn't so sure. He hurt April before and was liable to do so again.

The first thing she did after coming downstairs the next morning was go to check on her sister. God knows how much sleep she had gotten with all the worrying the brunette had been doing. Nothing could have prepared Bianca for what she found when she peered in the door; April was sleeping soundly… but she was not alone.

Her little sister was being held securely in Heath's arms and his hands were cradling her baby bump. Bianca gritted her teeth furiously and closed the door again. She couldn't believe it. Not twelve hours ago April was crying on her shoulder and now she was already back in the arms of the person who had caused the pain; who caused _all _of her pain.

Heath had cheated on April and, if that wasn't bad enough, the woman he had cheated on her with was now pregnant with his child too. Bianca felt even more bitter because she and Henri were supposed to be friends and the latter had known full well that Heath and April were together.

As she stormed back into the sitting room, Bianca collided with her fiancé. "Woah," Liam smiled and kissed the blond, "good morning."

The teacher scowled. "No, it most certainly is not a good morning! I just went to check on April and guess what I found!" Liam took a second to answer but that was obviously too long for his intended in her current mood. "I found her back in the arms of Heath Braxton. I am going to kill him!"

"Shh," he replied lowly, not wanting to wake his future sister-in-law. "Seriously, Bianca, can you honestly say that you didn't see this coming? April is completely in love with him… and he's the father of her unborn child. She was never going to just let him go," Liam gave his honest opinion.

"Well, she should! How many more times is he going to hurt her before she realises that? What April needs is stability, not a guy who got another woman pregnant while they were together."

The singer could definitely see where she was coming from. "You're right, and Heath probably realises that now, too. Everything was fine until Henri showed up again and it would have continued to be fine if she hadn't. I saw him yesterday; the guy was pretty torn up. That was easy to see. He does love her Bianca," Liam assured her, "anyone can see that. You just have to give him a chance to make things better."

Bianca huffed. There was no denying that there was some truth in his words but April was her sister, emotion clouded all logic whenever the brunette- and her niece or nephew- was involved. She headed for the door.

Liam frowned. "Where are you going?"

"Out. I need to think. And I'm not in the mood to see Heath Braxton right now," her reply was irate and the blond walked out the door.

Her fiancé sighed and rubbed the heel of his palm into his eye. Liam wished all this animosity between Bianca and Heath would be sorted. Sooner rather than later or things would get very difficult.

April woke feeling very peaceful, which was not at all what she had expected given everything that had happened the previous day. The familiar body pressed against her back made her smile. She placed her hand gently over Heath's which was draped over her swollen stomach.

The action made him stir. The River Boy shifted and placed a gentle kiss on the back of her neck. "Morning beautiful," he mumbled.

April very gracelessly turned over onto her other side to face her boyfriend. She placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "Morning."

"How are you feeling?"

She paused. "Better."

The memories of the previous day's events all came flooding back to him and Heath groaned. "April, I am so sorry. You don't even know how much."

The young girl frowned. "It's okay, Heath. I know. I'm still mad that you even slept with her in the first place but that's completely overshadowed by the relief that you're not the one who got her pregnant. We can work on it from there."

"I'm going to make it up to you, I promise. I'm going to be the best boyfriend you could ever have," he hesitated, "You deserve a lot better than me."

April's eyes widened in shock. She took his face in her hands, her eyes looking directly into his. "Don't say that. You're everything I could ever want. Do you want to know why? Because you love me and I love you and we're both going to love this baby. I couldn't ask for any more."

Heath didn't really believe it but he didn't want to dampen his girlfriend's mood. Instead of saying anything, he kissed her again. He heard voices coming from somewhere else in the house and something occurred to him. "I'll have to use the window again, won't I?"

The dark haired girl smiled sheepishly. "Just one last time? It's just that I need to talk to Bianca and I don't want her to completely fly off the handle when she sees you…"

Heath rolled his eyes but smiled. "Only because I love you," he gave her one last kiss before getting up and stretching. "I'll see you in a while?"

She nodded. "I'll come find you when I'm done with Bianca."

"See you then," he replied before hopping out the window as if he was sixteen years of age again.

April was really happy that everything was okay between her and Heath but she was worried about how her sister was going to react. That was a conversation that she definitely didn't want to have.


	31. We see what we want to see

Sorry about the wait once again! I'm really the worst. This one's a little short but I think it was long overdue. Thanks for the amazing support so far! You guys are the best!

Chapter 31- We see what we want to see

Heath walked along the sea front, taking his time getting home after leaving Irene's. So much had happened in the past few days that he relished the peace; the sound of the waves lapping gently on the shore, the cool sand coating his feet... He was just so thankful that things were okay between him and April when they could have easily gone so wrong.

He continued walking until he saw a very familiar blond sitting in the sand. Bianca. April musn't have gotten a chance to speak to her then. She sat with her knees tucked into her chest and her arms folded and resting on top. Heath was in two minds about what to do. Bianca was obviously still pissed with him and he should probably give her some space... on the other hand, there was a lot that needed to be discussed between them. He went with his gut instinct and made his way over to where she was sitting.

The blond didn't notice him until he sat down on the sand next to her. She turned her head to see who it was and scowled. If looks could kill, Heath Braxton would have been dead a hundred times over. "You're the last person I want to see now."

"I kinda figured that," he shrugged.

Bianca stared at him in disbelief. How could he be so cavalier? "You have no idea what you're doing to my sister," she said furiously, now turned completely to face him. "You break her heart and then make her love you again only to let her down again. And for some strange reason, she sticks around! Well, she's a fool for you like I used to be. April's not thinking about what it's going to be like- how soul destroying it will be- when you have to split your time between her and her new born and Henri and hers. It's going to kill her Heath! You're going to kill her!"

The Braxton heard every single word she said, but there was something he really needed to tell her. "You're right; but Henri is not having my baby." Frankly, it was still a sore subject. He was pretty sure he would never forgive her for it.

Bianca stared at him blankly. "Come again? April said-"

"Yeah, Henri lied. I'm not the father. She was sleeping with someone else around that time and they were less than careful."

Well she could honestly say that she hadn't expected that. The blond almost felt sorry for him. Almost. "Anyone we know?" she asked, half joking.

Heath's jaw clenched. He shifted his gaze to the sand in front of him. "Yeah, actually. It's my brother's."

"Brax got Henri pregnant?! What about Charlie?" she was almost indignant about it as she was when it was her own sister. Charlie was her best friend. She couldn't believe that Brax would cheat on her.

He shook his head. "Not him. Casey."

That completely floored Bianca. Casey? But that was impossible. Henri was his teacher... oh. "Casey was sleeping with Henri?" she still found it hard to come to terms with.

Heath grimaced. "Apparently so. She just decided to tell me it was mine instead. Why not?" he wondered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

She pursed her lips for a moment. This was not at all how she expected things to go. It would be so much easier to hate Heath. It would be so much easier for April to hate him. A part of her wanted both of them to. "Oh," was all she could manage.

The River Boy looked up at his ex once again, an almost pleading look on his face. "Bianca, I know I've done some things in the past that I'm not proud of; but since April told me she was pregnant, I've hardly looked at another woman. I'm in this for the long run; with her and our baby. I'm not the same person I was before. This whole thing with Henri was in the past, before April and I got serious- before I realised I was in love with her.

"I know this whole thing has turned me into a bit of a sap but I don't care. I'm ready to be responsible for once in my life."

Bianca listened to his inspired speech and couldn't help but feel a bit bad. It was obvious that he was in love with her sister but there was a part of her that thought it would only be a matter of time until he slipped up and ruined everything. Despite that, she knew her hands were tied. It wasn't fair to do that to April; to constantly hold this over her head, waiting for the moment he made her cry again just to say 'I told you so'. She realised in that moment tbat it was about her more than anything. There was definitely a chip on her shoulder. It was her problem, not her sister's.

Bianca sighed. "I know. You need to understand, though, that it's hard for me to put my own experience aside. If things hadn't happened the way they did, it could have been me and you in that position instead of April."

"What can I say? I have good taste in women..." Heath jested.

The teacher rolled her eyes. Leave it to Heath. She stood and dusted herself down. "Okay, well that's more than enough of a heart to heart. I better get home and talk to my sister... and convince Liam that he should still marry me. I kinda got a bit worked up this morning..."

Heath followed suit. "He's a good guy, despite what I may have said in the past..." he added with a wry smiled.

Bianca gave a small chuckle. "I guess I'll see you later?"

"Oh, yes! I get to use the front door again. The bruises I have from that window-"

She rolled her dramatically. "Goodbye, Heath," she bid him before they went in their seperate directions. In more ways than one for Bianca. 


	32. Better the devil you know

Okay, so this update didn't take too long! That's what I strive for but it doesn't always happen. I love writing this story and I really want to see it through so I'll try my best. But, for now, here's another update. As always, I really hope you enjoy! Your support means so much to me. Feel free to leave any thoughts or comments :)

Chapter 32- Better the devil you know

Brax had a bad feeling the minute he left his room in the morning when he saw Casey asleep on the couch. If it was what he thought, they wouldn't be in for a pleasant morning. He rubbed his face wearily before making his way over to the couch. The youngest Braxton was fast asleep, although looking rather ill-at-rest. Not for long, he thought as he nudged his brother.

Casey's eyes slowly opened and he yawned violently, looking startled. Brax didn't plan on giving him any recovery time. "What the hell are you doing?"

The younger of the two drowsily sat up. "Well I was trying to sleep until you woke me. Does that answer your question?"

"I meant why are you sleeping on the couch?" Brax demanded, almost daring his brother to answer the question. He was pretty sure that he already knew the answer. He hoped for everyone's sake that he was wrong.

Casey suddenly looked very awake and sheepish, as if he was just remembering for himself. "Because Henri is in my bed..." He knew exactly what his brother was getting at.

The eldest Braxton shook his head in disbelief. This so wasn't what he needed right now; even more drama. "That's just great, Case. What's going to happen with Heath wakes up and sees her drinking coffee in the kitchen?" He had to admit that Heath had been hard done by and having Henri in the house wasn't really appropriate given the situation.

"Heath didn't come home last night. He probably made up with April," he stood, "She's pregnant with my baby, Brax. What was I meant to do?"

"Book her into a hotel!"

Casey scoffed. "Oh, so if it was Charlie that's what you'd do?"

"That's different. Charlie wouldn't claim that the baby is Heath's!"

"Charlie never slept with Heath!"

Brax understood why his brother was so defensive but he still couldn't justify it. "Still doesn't make what she did right." Heath was lucky the lie didn't go on for long enough to do more damage.

"I know that," the female voice interrupted their discussion. Both Braxtons turned to see Henri lingering in the doorway of Casey's room, wearing a pink pair of pajama shorts and a white singlet that proudly displayed her bump. She was much bigger than April. "I don't know what possessed me to lie. I guess I was just scared."

Brax nodded. "Yeah well that's all well and good but it could have cost Heath his relationship and the unborn child that is actually his. Did you even think about how your little pretence was going to affect him? That was a pretty serious lie!"

Henri cringed and Casey quickly shot to her defense. "Lay off a bit, Brax; okay? She's sorry."

"I'm going to go get changed," the blond told them timidly with a weak gesture before disappearing back into Casey's room.

"You better start thinking about how you're going to explain this to Heath..."

"Explain what?"

Casey and Brax simultaneously turned, only to see Heath standing in the doorway wearing an expression that was a delicate balance of suspicion and anger. This wasn't exactly the best way for him to find out, that was for sure. Brax contemplated leaving his younger siblings to it but ultimately decided against it. There was definitely a possibility that things could take a turn for the worse so a peacekeeper could very well be needed.

The two eldest Braxtons looked to Casey expectantly. He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again after a few seconds. This only added to Heath's irritation. He shook his head in disbelief. "You know I'm getting really sick of always being the last to find things out! Just grow a set and spit it out!" It seemed like his brothers were purposely hiding things these days and he certainly wasn't in the mood for guessing games.

Casey frowned, trying to think of the best possible way to say what he needed to say. It was going to piss Heath of any way he put it, that was one thing he knew for sure. "I had to Heath... she had nowhere to go..."

It only took a second for Heath to realise what his brother was saying. His eyes hardened and his fists clenched. "You have got to be kidding me! You let her stay here when you knew exactly what she did!" the middle Braxton made for his brother but Brax quickly stepped in between the two.

"Heath, just calm down-"

"Calm down? You're defending him? Her? What happened to loyalty? Why the hell would I want the woman who lied about my being the father of her baby-nearly ruining everything in the process- to stay in my house?"

"Mate, I'm on your side," Brax assured him.

Heath nodded. "Yeah, but it's not you who matters! It's him!" he pointed his finger harshly in Casey's direction.

"She's having my baby, Heath! What the hell was I meant to do? What would you do?" the youngest Braxton wondered.

"I would have betrayed my brother, that's for sure!"

"Enough, Heath," the woman in question suddenly joined them in the sitting room. She was now wearing a blue sundress and a sombre expression. Heath cringed at the sight of her, the woman who had almost cost him so much. "Your problem is with me, not Casey."

"Damn right my problem is with you!" he spat back venemously, not feeling an ounce of sympathy for his ex-lover.

Henri didn't even flinch. She nodded her blond head. "Then let's sort it out. Right now." 


	33. You did what you did to me

Another quick update :) I really love writing this story but sometimes things get in the way. I do, however, have lots of plans for this so I'm going to keep tryinf to update as much as possible. This chapter's a lot longer than usual (a thank you for those who stick by this story (new readers are very welcome too :p)) so I really hope you enjoy!

Chapter 33- You did what you did to me

April was definitely annoyed with her sister. She left her room that morning prepared to tell her the good news only to find out from Liam that she had stormed off in a rage after seeing Heath in bed with her. The younger of the Scott sisters sat on the couch with her legs tucked beneath her, wishing that Bianca would come home so they could talk. She wasn't sure why her sister was so upset; surely it was a good thing that she and Heath had reconciled? But then again, April knew only too well when it came to her boyfriend and father of her child. Everytime she thought Bianca and Heath could finally see eye to eye, something happened to undo all that again.

Liam handed his soon-to-be sister in law a cup of tea and sat down on the couch next to her. "I don't know what to do about them," April honestly informed him, "I don't want us to be the type of family that walks on eggshells around each other; the kind who exchange strenuous smiles only for the sake of the children."

"That's not going to happen. You and your sister love each other way too much to let it happen," he assured her. Liam could easily say that Bianca and April were the closest sisters he'd ever seen. He wasn't going to let either of them throw that away if it was at all possible.

The brunette sighed and absentmindedly rubbed her swollen stomach. "It's just that, a lot of the time, Bianca seems to be allergic to Heath and I don't know what I can do about it. I know their relationship has gotten better recently but there still seems to be this underlying tension..." April pressed the cup to her lips and took a generous sip, the hot liquid soothing her slightly.

He frowned and picked absentmindely at the hem of his t-shirt. He wasn't one hundred per cent certain of the situation either. "I think what we both need to understand is that they have a lot of history. It would be nearly impossible for us to change their view of the other person. They have to do that on their own."

"It's just so frustrating! I want nothing more than for my sister and the father of my baby to get along. I almost had that until Henri showed up," April said her name with all the contempt she could muster up, which, right now, was quite a lot. She was angry; angry because of Heath's ex, angry because of her sister's pigheadedness, angry because she had just buried one of her best friends and couldn't believe he was gone... Somewhere along the way, however, that anger moulded into something completely different; a strange feeling that she couldn't label. It seemed to lessen when she was lying with Heath that morning but was now back with a vengence. It was overwhelming.

Liam took one look at his future sister-in-law and put his arm around her. He couldn't even begin to imagine how hard all of this was on her. She was handling it remarkably well, given the circumstances but then again the Scott sisters were always strong. The pregnant teen rested her head on his chest. "Everything is going to work out okay. Tensions are just running a bit high at the moment. It's a hard time for all of us but we'll get through it, as a family," he assured her, feeling confident that things were going to get better. He certainly hoped for April's sake that they would.

88888888888

"I'm all ears," Heath said venemously as soon as Brax and a very reluctant Casey had left the house. Not that he even wanted to be in the same room as Henri but he didn't exactly have a choice. If it was up to him, he'd never speak to her again as long as he lived.

She sighed, aware that this was all her doing but disheartened nonetheless. "Listen, Heath; I don't know what's going to happen with Casey yet but I still think we should talk this through. Or else it's going to get pretty awkward for everyone."

The middle Braxton chuckled humorlessly. "I think we've already passed the 'awkward' stage. In case you haven't noticed, this is all awkward!" he informed her in a matter-of-fact tone, making a large gesture with his hands. "It was all fine until you showed up. We all would have been fine."

His words hit Henri like a punch to the stomach. What had happened to them? How did it all go so wrong when things used to be so great between them. "I'm sorry, Heath," she said, her voice softer now, and meant it with every fibre of her being. She would have given anything to take it all back, undo her biggest mistake.

Heath's eyes widened. "Oh, you're sorry? In that case let's just forget about everyrthing and become best friends! It doesn't work like that, Henri. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't. Sometimes there are things that you just can't fix. Did you actually think that I was so stupid that I would never figure out that it wasn't my baby? That's what you were counting on anyway, I guess."

Tears formed in her eyes and she took a step closer to him. "It wasn't like that, I swear. I was just scared. I know that doesn't change what I did but if I could change it I would. I wish so much that I could," Henri vowed, her voice full of desperation.

He suddenly felt something that he hadn't anticipated at all: pity. She was a complete mess, he could see that now. Heath's expression and stance softened a bit. Henri was like a wounded animal; it would be wrong to cause her anymore pain just so he could feel better, as much as that thought surprised him. "I'm not going to pretend that I forgive you, or that I will forgive you any time soon. All I can promise is not to make your life harder than it already is. I'm not going to be childish for once in my life. Whatever is going on with you and Casey, fine; that's up to him. He can do what he wants to do.

"I just want you to leave me and April alone. 'Cause as much as all this has pissed me off, it nearly destroyed her. She's what's important to me now; her and our baby. So you do what you want- stay here, I don't care- but don't think we are okay because we definitely are not," he concluded and walked out before she had a chance to reply. There was nothing more to say.

88888888

April was just about to get dressed when Bianca walked in the door with a bunch of brightly coloured flowers in one hand and what seemed to be a white cake box in the other. "Good morning," Bianca greeted her sister with a warm smile, setting the goods down on the counter.

The younger Scott was definitely concerned. This was a far cry from the Bianca that Liam had described earlier that morning. It was very unnerving. "Morning..." she replied, more than a little bit wary of her sister's good mood. April began to worry that she had finally offed Heath and was no celebrating.

"I brought you flowers and cake."

The brunette nodded. "I can see that. Why?"

Her sister made her way over to the couch and sat down next to the pregnant teen. Bianca's expression suddenly became a lot more sombre. "As a way of apologising for being such a stubborn idiot. I'm sure Liam told you about my breakdown this morning," April nodded, still waiting to see her where she was going with this. "It just killed me to see you so upset last night and then, when I saw you with Heath this morning, I just lost it. You just have to realise that no matter how old you get and no matter how many children you have, you'll always be my little sister who couldn't tie her own shoelaces and I'm always going to want to protect you; no matter who from.

"I ran into Heath this morning, however, and I guess he made me see sense. He made me realise that I've been latching on to every little thing he does because I'm afraid he's going to hurt you..." Bianca took her sister's hand, "But he's not. At least not intentionally, anyway. That thing with Henri was in the past and he hasn't given any of us a reason not to believe that he's changed since. I also realised something that was hard for me to come to terms with; it's his turn to protect you now. And I know he's very capable of doing it. So I hope you'll forgive me..." she said with a small smile.

Tears had appeared in April's eyes. She was pretty sure that it had a lot to do with her crazy pregnancy hormones. What Bianca had just said meant so much to her, words could never even describe it. She hugged her sister tightly, albeit awkwardly as a result of her bump being in the way. "Of course. Bianca, you're my sister and I love you. What I want more than anything is for us all to get along."

The teacher smiled but there was a tinge of sadness to it. Part of her problem, though she would never admit it, was that she felt like she was losing her sister now that she was becoming a mother and starting a family of her own. "Well you don't have to worry about that anymore. No more looking for problems. Sound good?"

April nodded. "Sounds great."

"Good," the blond stood, "Now how about you get a vase for the flowers and I'll cut us a slice of cake?"

The younger of the two arched an eyebrow. "Cake for breakfast? I'm the pregnant one; you're supposed t be keeping me on the straight and narrow!" she joked.

"Yes, well we are celebrating so I won't tell anyone if you won't?"

"Your secret's safe with me."


	34. Christmas with the Braxtons- Part 1

**I just wanted to thank you all for your amazing support. I've just passed 200 hundred reviews on this story which is absolutely incredible. You are all amazing and really inspire me to keep writing. This chapter is for all of you!**

**On a side note, I realised after I had this written that I based the timeline on European school years. Students finish school in May/June for our summer so going by that, this timeline is correct. I'm really sorry about the discrepancy but if you could just take it as it is (or just think of this as a standalone chapter) I would be much obliged!**

**Chapter 34- Christmas with the Braxtons- Part 1**

April tore off another strip of tape, placing it carefully along the line where two pieces of wrapping paper met. Once she was finished with that, she blissfully tied a ruby red ribbon around it and admired her work. Hearing a bustling, the teen cast her eyes up to see Heath entering the room. "Hey you," April beamed and puckered up as he bent down to give her a kiss.

"Hey babe. What are you up to?" he wondered as he sat down on the couch.

She arched an eyebrow and chuckled softly. "It's Christmas Eve, what do you think I'm doing?" April wondered good naturedly.

Heath nodded. "I know but you've been at it for about two hours now..."

"It takes time, Heath! I'm not going to give anyone a present if the wrapping doesn't look like I've put at least a bit of effort into it! Besides," she tucked the gift neatly into the pile and placed her hand on her bump, "I really like all this. It makes us relaxed."

The middle Braxton smiled. "Well anything that makes my two favourite people happy makes me happy too."

"Aw, look at you all warm and fuzzy with the Christmas spirit!" April teased and gestured for her boyfriend to get up off the couch and help her up off the cushion she was perched upon on the floor. Heath obliged, helping the pregnant woman to her feet.

Heath shrugged. "Well it is our first Christmas together and last before the baby comes," he reminded her, placing his hands on her bump and kissing her.

"Mmm," she hummed to herself, "that is true. I really can't wait for tomorrow; I have a feeling that it's going to be a nice quiet day-"

A humorless chuckled filled the air and the happy couple turned to see Brax exiting his room with his phone in his hand. "I would say that just yet..."

Both Heath and April groaned. Great, of course something would happen to disrupt their familial bliss. "What is it?" Surely it couldn't be _that_ bad. Although, speaking from experience...

"Mum just called; she's invited herself over for dinner tomorrow- wants to spend Christmas with the family. We haven't been together for Christmas in years and she picks _this year_!" the eldest Braxton seemed torn between disbelief and slight fear.

His brother knew exactly what he was talking about. All of their love lives were, how would you say, dramatic at that moment in time. One son seeing a police officer, one with a pregnant girlfriend who was still a teenager and, best of all, one with a pregnant teacher. But could anything less be expected from a Braxton get together? "Well that's just great, isn't it? Is it too much to ask for a nice peaceful Christmas?"

April was shocked into silence. She had never met Cheryl before; meeting her when she was nearly six months pregnant for the first time on Christmas Day wouldn't be on her list of priorities. She'd heard from the boys that Heath was the favourite son and that meant that his mother would either love her or hate her. To be honest, it would most likely be the latter. April looked to her boyfriend for reassurance.

Heath placed his arm around her. "Don't worry. Let's look at it this way; there'll probably be bigger fish to fry..."

That did give her some comfort. Realistically, hers and Heath's relationship and pregnancy was hardly the most news worthy at the moment. Everything would be fine- at least, that's what she really wanted to believe.

Brax didn't look any less unnerved. "It's a good thing we're having it in the restaurant." That was definitely true. Along with the three brothers and their respective girlfriends, they were also being joined by Bianca and Liam as, understandably, April wanted to be with Heath and her sister for Christmas. Ruby was also invited but declined as her relationship with Casey was unsalvageable after he broke the news about Henri and the baby. They hadn't spoken since.

"It's still going to be awkward! Besides myself, there will be two of your exes there. Bianca is my sister. Your mother is going to have a field day with this," April pointed out, trying to think of the worst case scenario. She didn't want to freak out about it, she really didn't but it was inevitable. Didn't everyone freak out before meeting their boyfriend's mother for the first time? Especially when she was about to make said mother a grandmother….

Heath draped his arm around her waist and placed a soft kiss on her head. "Like I said, she probably won't get time to focus on you."

"Speaking of which," Brax began, "Who's going to tell Casey about this? He needs to be warned."

The middle Braxton scoffed. "I'm not telling him."

Both Brax and April exchanged a glance. Heath and Casey's relationship had been more than a bit strained since everything had transpired with Henri and the baby. They hoped that the two brothers would kiss and make up for everyone's sake. "Okay, I'll tell him. But you have to promise to be on your best behaviour tomorrow. Mum is probably going to go off at some point but keep your mouth shut. There's going to be enough drama without you contributing as well."

The younger Braxton thought about arguing but decided to let it go for the sake of peace. "Fine. But if he starts anything then I'll play ball."

"Then I'll make sure that he doesn't," the eldest of the Braxtons informed Heath and April while making for the front door. "Oh, and April? Heath's right. Don't worry too much. Mum's going to like you. Although I don't think the same can be said for Charlie and Henri…" was all he said before heading next door.

Heath smiled and kissed his girlfriend again. "See? We're going to be fine. Besides, we can always escape to Irene's if things start getting crazy."

His girlfriend chuckled. "Yeah, I think it's good to have a backup plan. Let's just try to enjoy the day."

"That sounds like a very good idea."


	35. Christmas with the Braxtons- Part 2

**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in forever but things have been crazy. It's also taken a while to get some inspiration for this chapter. I understand that this has probably lost me readers but there's nothing I can do but apologise. Please take this chapter as a token of my gratitude for all those who have stuck with me so far! Let me know what you think!**

Casey, as was anticipated, was not very happy with the news that his mother was joining them for Christmas. He had immediately told Henri what was happening. She was just as wary as he was, going so far as to offer not to go to avoid conflict. The youngest Braxton rubbished that idea instantly, informing her that he wanted to spend the day with her so the rest of them could get stuffed.

Things were calmer (if only just) in the Braxton household. April and Heath woke up at around eleven, quickly exchanging 'happy Christmases' and kisses. April had been (justifiably) worried about Cheryl's visit but, after a few hours, her boyfriend had managed to convince her that everything would be fine and that he was in her corner no matter what happened.

She went to see Bianca for a while and told her the story. Her sister had been wary about the day too, if not somewhat amused at the thought that it probably would be a day that they wouldn't ever forget. Bianca too had reassured her, though she did add that she was thankful that it wasn't her. April had just grimaced and playfully thrown a pillow at her.

"Today is going to be… interesting," Heath commented with a wry smile on his face while he traced nonsensical patterns on his girlfriend's pregnant stomach. She was pressed close to his side under the covers and her body heat seemed to calm him even more.

April rolled her eyes and nodded. "Interesting would be a good way to describe it. What time are we heading to Angelo's at?"

"I promised Brax that we would be there for one to help get things set up. He's going to need all the help he can get today. "

She frowned. "We should have told your mother about the baby sooner. It's not fair for her to find out like this." That was certainly true. April felt truly guilty about it. Their baby would be Cheryl's first grandchild (if it was born before Casey and Henri's) and April knew that if she was in her position she would want to know that her son was going to become a father.

Heath couldn't argue with that. "I know but all that matters is that we didn't. I hope she's happy about it. I'm going to be a dad soon. That's pretty amazing. And it's not like this was just some drunken mistake; we love each other."

April beamed and kissed her boyfriend. "You should tell her that later on."

He chuckled. "Trust me, I've got a whole speech prepared. Ghandi couldn't even write it."

"I'm sure that's true but I actually hope that you don't have to use it…"

"That makes two of us."

True to his word, Heath and April arrived at Angelo's just before one. His brother and Charlie were already there, running in and out of the kitchen and throwing random food related questions at each other; where did you put the potatoes? Have you put the desert into the fridge?

"Hey guys," Charlie greeted them with a smile when they arrived. Under her apron she wore a beautiful red dress that clung to her every curve, most likely highlighting the fact that she was in no way pregnant.

Brax stuck his head out of the kitchen door. "Good you're here. We've been flat out all morning. Heath I need you in here. April, would you mind setting out the plates and cutlery? I haven't gotten a chance."

"Merry Christmas to you two, bro," Heath playfully teased but made for the kitchen anyway.

April was more than happy to do the setting up. It was kind of her forte. She liked to be kept busy and Heath had a habit of babying her since she began to get bigger. It was certainly sweet, but sometimes she just wanted to do something. She wasn't rendered disabled by her stomach (granted she did end up eating a lot of the food while she was cooking).

Bianca and Liam were the next to arrive. The two Scott sisters exchanged enthusiastic hugs and seasonal greetings. April did the same with her sister's fiancé. By that stage, everything was more or less ready so they all sat down and had a drink while waiting for the last few to arrive. So far everything was great. All present got on exceedingly well since they knew that this would probably be the most pleasant part of the day. Charlie and Bianca quizzed April about her pregnancy; how she felt, what her most recent cravings were, how often the baby kicked…

The men seemed to be getting on like a house on fire. That was quite surprising given Liam and Heath's past. Still, spirits were high and it was shaping up to be a lovely day.

Much to everyone's surprise, Cheryl was the next to arrive. She announced her presence by striding in the door and obnoxiously shouting 'Hello'. Everyone's eyes were immediately drawn to the Braxton matriarch. They pretty much all had the same feeling of dread.

"Mum," Heath made his way over to his mother and gave her a hug. April knew that her boyfriend was a bit of a mommy's boy. It was kinda cute.

Cheryl gave him an exuberant kiss on the cheek, leaving lipstick stains in her wake. "There's my boy. Merry Christmas, Heath."

Brax, who stood behind his brother, was quite awkward in comparison. When his mother and Heath completed their greeting, he stepped forward and hugged her briefly. "Hey, mum. It's nice that you decided to join us."

"Yeah well I'd be waiting a long time for you to invite me, wouldn't I?" Cheryl said sarcastically, taking in the spread that her sons had prepared. "Where's Case? You're not fighting again, are you?"

Brax and Heath exchanged a wary glance and the latter looked like he wanted very much to answer yes to that question. "No, he should be here soon. In the meantime, there's some people that we would like you to meet," the eldest informed her, pulling his girlfriend close to his side. "Mum, this is Charlie, my girlfriend."

She looked Charlie up and down, a guarded expression on her face. "Nice to meet you," the policewoman smiled.

Cheryl arched an eyebrow. "Likewise." Her gaze moved to Bianca and the corner of her mouth tugged up slightly. "You must be my Heath's latest squeeze…"

Bianca's eyes widened and she looked from Cheryl to Heath to April to Liam and back again. April played anxiously with her hands. "Actually," the middle Braxton took his girlfriend's hand, "this is my girlfriend, April."

Her eyes immediately went to the eighteen year old's swollen stomach. A genuine expression of shock appeared on her face. April decided to take initiative and gave her a small hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Cheryl. Heath's told me so much."

His mother was still in shock. "You're having a baby?"

Heath smiled and nodded. "I am- _we _are. We've only got a few months left to go. It's exciting."

She arched an eyebrow. "Well you certainly took the term _girl_- friend seriously. How come you never told me that you knocked up a girl Heath?"

"We were going to tell you. It's just been pretty hectic around here lately. April lost her best friend in a tragic car accident and-"

He didn't get a chance to finish that sentence.

"Hey, mum."

Casey's voice suddenly brought everyone's attention to the door where he stood with a very terrified looking Henri by his side.

Let the games begin…


End file.
